By Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska
PRZEWODOW, Poland (Reuters) – Two men killed by a missile that hit a southeastern Polish village will be buried this weekend, a priest said on Friday, as residents struggle to come to terms with an incident that raised fears of the war in Ukraine spilling over the border.
Residents of Przewodow have been shaken by the explosion that cost the two men their lives and brought the most deadly conflict in Europe since World War Two to their doorsteps.
“I knew (both of the deceased) very well,” local priest Bogdan Wazny told Reuters. “One lived near here in this old housing estate, and the other in the neighbouring village, which is 3.5 kilometers from the church…They were very kind people.”
Wazny said the first funeral would be on Saturday at 1200 local time. It would be led by a bishop from the city of Zamosc.
“At this first funeral there will be a military presence, so an orchestra, probably some guests from ministries, or at least representatives of the highest state authorities,” he said.
The second funeral will take place on Sunday without a military presence, Wazny said.
Przewodow, a village of 440 people, has been the subject of global media attention since the two agricultural workers were killed at a grain-drying facility by what Warsaw and Western allies say was a stray Ukrainian air-defence missile.
Wazny said that when the media scrum had died down he and his parishioners would have time to reflect on their loss.
“When the journalists leave, when there are no cameras, we will certainly talk here amongst ourselves and pray quietly.”
(Reporting by Agnieszka Pikulicka-Wilczewska, writing by Alan Charlish and Pawel Florkiewicz)
