Plane Crash killed 43 in Russia

Russian plane crashed in Yaroslavl, 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Moscow in Russia, Saturday, Sept. 10, 2011. The crash killed 43 people, including 36 players, coaches and staff of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl ice hockey team, many of whom were European national team and former NHL players.

The chartered Yak-42 jet crashed into the banks of the Volga River moments after takeoff from an airport near Yaroslavl. The crash sent shock waves through the hockey world, which was already mourning the tragic loss of Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak in the off-season.

At least 43 people were killed in the crash. The Russian Emergency Situations Ministry told the Associated Press the Yak-42 airplane crashed into a river bank on the Volga River immediately after takeoff from Yaroslavl, which is 150 miles northeast of Moscow.

Russia’s record for air safety is one of the worst in the world, but Canadians defenseman Andrei Markov said that, “he was shocked when he learned of the crash and it was too early to assign blame for the plane crash”.