Total SA CEO Christophe de Margerie died in a plane crash in Moscow on Tuesday when his private plane struck a snow plow, whose driver Russian investigators say as drunk at the time of the accident.
Reactions to de Margerie’s death streamed in from around the world in the news media and on Twitter, with plenty of commentary coming out of France, the home base of Total, one of the largest oil and gas companies in the world.
French President Francois Hollande expressed his grief in a statement to the media, saying “gave his life to French industry and the development of Total.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin also expressed his sadness in a statement, calling de Margerie a “remarkable bussinessman” who helped forge a relationship between Russian and the French energy sector. Some have noted that de Margerie was one of Putin’s last remaining important allies — the CEO was one of the only major Western European corporate leaders who maintained an open dialogue with Russia following increased tensions over the country’s Ukraine incursions.
Below are a few of the reactions from world leaders, energy CEOs and the media.
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