A plane carrying the KHL’s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team crashed just after take off on Wednesday, killing all but two of those on board. Several former NHL players are among the dead, and this is just the latest tragedy to strike the hockey world in what’s been a long summer of heartbreak.
VIDEO: Russian Plane Crashed Along River Bank, Killing Majority Of KHL Team
In total, 37 passengers and eight crew were reportedly aboard the plane, including the entire hockey team and four members of the Lokomotiv youth squad.
The plane was a Yakovlev Yak-42, first designed in the 1970s and used by the Soviet Union in combat during the Soviet-Afghan War in the 1980s. Reports indicate that the plane was operating properly before take off, but that it failed to clear a tower at the end of the runway and crashed shortly after along the bank of the Volga River.
Here’s a look at the geography of surrounding the airport. You can easily see the proximity of Tunoshna Airport, located approximately 18 kilometers outside the city of Yaroslavl, to the river.
Russia Today has raw video of the crash site. Warning: This video may be difficult for some to watch.
The team was en route to Minsk, Belarus for the first game of their regular season. One other KHL contest, the first of the league year, was in progress at the time of the crash. The teams stopped playing following news of the tragedy.
We’ll continue to update this StoryStream as we learn more about the crash.
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