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Which world leaders have died in plane crashes?

HA (according to Tuoi Tre) May 21, 2024 16:20

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is the latest world leader to die in a plane crash. Fatal accidents involving world leaders are not uncommon in history.

Tổng thống Ba Lan Lech Kaczynski thiệt mạng vì tai nạn hàng không khi còn đương nhiệm - Ảnh: REUTERS
Polish President Lech Kaczynski died in a plane crash while in office - Photo: REUTERS

Al Arabiya lists the deaths of national leaders in air accidents from 1986 to present.

2024: President of Iran and former president of Chile

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi died in a helicopter crash on May 19 while returning from a visit to the border with Azerbaijan.

Previously, on February 6, former Chilean President Sebastian Pinera died in a helicopter crash at Lago Ranco, a resort 920km south of the capital Santiago.

Mr. Pinera served from 2010-2014 and from 2018-2022.

2010: President of Poland

On April 10, a Tupolev 154 plane carrying 96 people, including Polish President Lech Kaczynski and other high-ranking political and military figures of the country, crashed while preparing to land in dense fog at an airport near Smolensk, western Russia.

There were no survivors in the incident. The crash is believed to have been caused by bad weather, as well as errors by the Polish pilot and Russian air traffic controllers.

2005: South Sudan leader

On July 30, Mr. John Garang, former leader of the separatist rebel movement in South Sudan, died when his helicopter crashed on his way back from Uganda.

Mr. Garang was the leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army (SPLM/A) movement, which fought for independence for South Sudan. After South Sudan was established, Mr. Garang became vice president.

2004: President of Macedonia

On February 26, on his way to an international investment conference in Bosnia, Macedonian President Boris Trajkovski died when his plane crashed in the mountains of southern Bosnia.

The plane crashed near the Stolac area, about 50km from the city of Mostar, where the conference was taking place.

Mr. Trajkovski's plane crashed while landing in dense fog.

1994: President of Rwanda and President of Burundi

On April 6, 1994, the Falcon 50 aircraft carrying Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana and his Burundian counterpart Cyprien Ntaryamira was shot down by a missile while flying over the Rwandan capital Kigali.

According to the United Nations, this attack is considered the spark that ignited the genocide against the Tutsi (one of the three major ethnic groups in Rwanda and Burundi), which killed at least 800,000 people.

1988: President of Pakistan

Pakistani President Zia ul-Haq was one of the victims of a plane crash that occurred on August 17, 1988 near Bahawalpur, eastern Pakistan.

1986: President of Mozambique

On October 19, 1986, Mozambique's first President Samora Machel was killed when his Tupolev 134 plane crashed in northeastern South Africa.

HA (according to Tuoi Tre)
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Which world leaders have died in plane crashes?