Christophe de Margerie, the chief executive officer of Total SA, the French oil company, has been killed in an accident at Moscow’s Vnukovo airport, according to official sources.
A representative of the transport investigative committee said the French-made Falcon 50 business jet, headed for France, collided with the snow-removal machine during take-off, TASS news agency reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences over the incident, calling de Margerie a “true friend of our country”.
He praised the 63-year-old oil boss as “an outstanding French entrepreneur who originated many major joint projects that formed the basis of many years of fruitful cooperation between Russia and France in the energy sector.”
“In Christophe de Margerie, we lost a real friend of our country, whom we will remember with the greatest warmth,” Putin said.
The Total Group on Tuesday confirmed de Margerie’s death “with great and profound sadness”.
“Christophe de Margerie died last night shortly after 10pm [Paris time] in an air crash at Vnukovo airport in Moscow following a collision with a snow removing machine,” the statement released by the said.
The driver of a snow plough involved in the accident was drunk, Russian investigators said.
“It has been established that the driver of the snow plough was in a drunken state,” the investigating unit said in a statement.
Story via Total CEO killed in Moscow airport accident – Europe – Al Jazeera English.