Hockey players Rachůnek, Vašíček, Marek reported dead in Russian plane crash

An aircraft carrying the Russian ice hockey team Lokomotiv Yaroslavl has crashed, killing at least 36 people, among them three star Czech hockey players: Karel Rachůnek, Josef Vašíček a Jan Marek. The Yak-42 passenger plane went down near the city of Yaroslavl in north-eastern Russia on its way to a match in Belarus, the first of the season. One person on board is reported to have survived. The Russian news agency Interfax has cited officials as saying that the plane was having difficulty gaining altitude and hit a runway antenna, after which it crashed and caught fire. Other victims apparently include Slovak legend Pavol Demitra and Swedish goalkeeper Liv Stefan. IIHF President René Fasel called the day the blackest in the history of the sport.