Bodies of Polish Army chief, seven others returned to Poland

WARSAW - The body of Franciszek Gagor, the Polish Army’s chief of staff, and the remains of seven other people were returned to Warsaw Friday after their deaths in a plane crash that killed the country’s president and dozens of other high-ranking officials.

Gagor served as chief of staff from 2006 to 2010 and was promoted to Brigadier General in 1997. He was a senior officer for the Polish contingent in Desert Storm in 1991, and played a key role in preparing the Polish Armed Forces for the country’s accession to NATO.

A second plane brought the other seven bodies to Warsaw as the nation grieved in a week-long period of national mourning. The second plane included the bodies of Przemyslaw Gosiewski, the deputy head of the opposition Law and Justice party; two priests; a sculptor; an actor and Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka, a former deputy premier known for her support of gay rights.

The group were among the 97 victims of a place crash Saturday in Smolensk, Russia, that killed religious figures, top military brass and members of parliament along with the president and his wife. The delegation was en route to ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the Soviet-era Katyn massacre of some 22,000 Polish officers.

Some 67 bodies have already been returned to Poland, including the body of President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria, who now lie in state.

The Kaczynski couple were to be buried Sunday in Wawel Cathedral, in the southern city of Krakow, in ceremonies expected to draw 96 delegations, including the presidents of Russia and the US.