Very sad news to report this morning. Not to overlook the fact that 36 people have died (the entire team save 1 in critical condition), but former NHL Pavol Demitra was on board, as well as former Panthers Ruslan Salei, Karlis Skrastins, and Alexander Karpovtsev.

 

RIP.

Conflicting reports of whether or not Salei was on the plane.

 

Also, potentially two survivors.

Russian reports suggest the jet may have struck a radio mast.

 

Russian player Alexander Galimov survived the crash with 80% burns along with a member of the crew. Russian media briefly reported the player had died of his injuries, but a medical source later told the Russian news website Sovetsky Sport he was still alive.

After numerous reports, it appears as though tragically, Ruslan Salei was indeed aboard the plane and died with the rest of the team.

 

Leave this for further discussion later as now is a time for mourning, although the YAK-42 aircraft was apparently banned in continental Europe and deemed non-airworthy. The airplane had trouble gaining altitude after liftoff when it struck the radio mast.

 

Reports on Galimov are perhaps the most tragic of all. The doctor saying that Galimov's condition is 'more than critical' with a now 90% of his body covered in burns.

 

The flight engineer, Alexander Sizov, reportedly is also in critical condition (and may have been confirmed dead at this point) with 30% of his body burned.

 

(Video is Graphic: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrZa5RBpBIM&feature=player_embedded# )

 

At 1:40 a survivor is seen being transported on a stretcher, presumably the flight engineer and not Galimov.