Many nations around the world have lost heads of state due to various reasons while they are still in office. Some got sick. Some were assassinated. A handful have died in plane crashes.
Here is a rundown of five of those presidents who have died in plane crashes:
Boris Trajkovski (Macedonia)
On February 26, 2004, the President of Macedonia, Boris Trajkovski, was on his way to Bosnia and Herzegovina when the plane he was passenger of crashed. None of the other passengers and crew survived the plane crash. Trajkovski had been serving as president since November 19, 1999.
According to a report by Al Jazeera, "Officials in Bosnia said the president's official executive jet appeared to have smashed into a mountain in fog."
Lech Kaczyński (Poland)
Lech Kaczyński became the President of Poland December 23, 2005, and was still in office when he passed away.
He was one of the passengers of a Polish Air Force Tupolev Tu-154M aircraft that crashed on April 10, 2010 near Smolensk, Russia. The Kaczyński and the other 95 passengers and crew onboard perished. The other passengers include his wife Maria Kaczyńska and senior military figures.
According to a report by The Guardian, there are those who believe that the crash was a result of foul play.
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l Habyarimana (Rwanda) and Cyprien Ntaryamira (Burundi)
You are probably wondering why these two presidents are together in one entry on this list. That is because these two heads of state died in the same plane crash. Yes, you read that right.
Juvénal Habyarimana became President of Rwanda on July 5, 1973, while Cyprien Ntaryamira became the president of Burundi on on February 5, 1994. Both presidents were still in office when they died.
According to an entry in Google Arts and Culture, a plane carrying both presidents was shot down on April 6, 1994, with surface-to-air missiles. The plane was already preparing to land in the Rwandan capital of Kigali. No one survived the plane crash.
The assassination of both presidents, particularly of Habyarimana, is said to have triggered the Rwandan genocide.
Samora Machel (Mozambique)
When Mozambique gained its independence, Samora Machel became its first president in 1975. He was president from June 25, 1975, until the day of his death.
On the fateful day of October 19, 1986, the president was on his way back to Mozambique from a summit held in Zambia. He and the other passengers and crew boarded a Tupolev TU 134A to make the trip, according to South African History Online.
However, before the plane could reach the capital of Maputo, it crashed in the Lebombo mountains near Mbuzini, South Africa. Machel did not survive, but nine other passengers did. As of press time, it has not been determined if there was foul play involved in President Machel's death.
