It is one of the worst disasters ever involving a sports team, a plane crash outside Yaroslavl, Russia, 150 miles northeast of Moscow. Forty-three of the 45 people aboard were killed. The plane was carrying Yaroslavl Lokomotiv, one of the top teams in the continental Hockey League, headed for the season opener in Minsk. Among the dead, stars of the hockey world, players and coaches from 10 nations including Russia, Canada, Sweden and Germany. Several were former members of the NHL. Just two people survive, a Russian hockey player Alexander Galimov and a crew member, both are in critical condition.
The plane, a chartered Yak-42, built in 1993, took off in sunny weather and crashed just moments later into the bank of the Volga River. Reports say the plane had trouble gaining altitude and hit an antenna near the airport.
At the League's opening match today in central Russia, stunned hockey fans heard the news of the crash announced during the game. They observed the moment of silence for the victims.
The devastating blow has been felt throughout the hockey world. Today the president of the International Ice Hockey Federation said it is the darkest day in the history of our sport. Today's tragedy also raises new questions about air safety in this country. A crash in northern Russia less than two months ago left 47 people dead. It was blamed on pilot error. An investigation has been opened into today's crash. President Medvedev will visit the site on Thursday but fans and fellow players across Europe are mourning what is today a huge loss.
Yonatan Pomrenze,ABC News,Moscow.
