PARIS
French oil company Total has confirmed the death of its chairman and CEO, Christophe de Margerie, who was killed after the corporate jet he was the sole passenger in was in collision with a snow-clearing machine at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow.
Three crew members of the French Falcon aircraft, all French citizens, were also found dead at the scene.
The driver of the snowplow was drunk when his machine was in collision with the jet at 11.57 p.m. Moscow time (19:57 GMT) as it prepared to take off, Russian investigators said.
French President Francois Hollande issued a statement expressing his "sadness" over Margerie's death.
He said: "I always appreciated Christophe de Margerie's independence, his original character and dedication to his country."
Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences in a telegram to Hollande, Russian news agency Itar-TASS reported.
- 'A true friend'
Putin said: "In Christophe de Margerie, we have lost a true friend of the country, we will leave fond memories of him."
He described de Margerie as "a distinguished French businessman who stood at the origins of the major joint projects which have laid the basis for the fruitful cooperation between Russia and France in the energy sphere for many years".
The French authority responsible for safety investigations into civil air accidents - the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses Pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (BEA) - is sending three investigators to Moscow, France Info radio reported.
A Paris prosecutor has also opened an investigation into possible involuntary homicide, France Info reported.
Margerie, 63, became the CEO of Total in 2007 and its chairman in 2010.
Total is declining in the stock market after the death of its CEO.
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