A leading professional ice hockey team was on board a Russian plane which crashed on take off today, killing 43 people.Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry said the Yak-42 aircraft crashed as it left Tunoshna airport near the city of Yaroslavl, on the Volga River north-east of Moscow.
The plane was carrying the Yaroslavl-based Lokomotiv ice hockey team.
A total of 45 passengers were on board, comprising 37 passengers and eight crew members. All but two people were killed in the crash, with reports indicating one member of the Lokomotiv staff and one crew member had survived with serious injuries.
The authorities have not confirmed the identities of any of those killed.
A statement from the Russian Hockey Federation read: 'Today, September 7, on departure from Tunoshna airport, a Yak-42 plane crashed with the Lokomotiv hockey team on board.
'The Russian Hockey Federation expresses its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and relatives, fans and the entire hockey community.'Federation president Vladislav Tretiak added: 'We have suffered an irreparable loss.
'I still can not believe what happened. Our hockey has lost great players and coaches. It's just a terrible tragedy for the sport.'
Rais wa Russia anaweka shada la maua kwenye eneo la ajali
Lokomotiv play in the Kontinental Hockey League, which comprises clubs from former Soviet-bloc countries and is regarded as one of the strongest ice hockey competitions in Europe.Lokomotiv finished third in the KHL last season and were heading to the Belarus capital Minsk, where they were due to contest their first game of the new season against Dinamo.
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