Russian airliner in fatal crash near Yaroslavl

Reports said the plane burst into flames shortly after taking off from an airport at the city of Yaroslavl, about 250km (160 miles) north-east of Moscow, BBC News reported.

Members of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team were on board the plane on their way to Minsk in Belarus.

Officials said one person was still missing after the crash, the cause of which has not been confirmed.

The hockey team had been due to play Dinamo Minsk in the opening game of the season of the Kontinental Hockey League on Thursday.

The team includes players from Germany, Sweden, and Slovakia as well as Russia. It was not clear how many of the fatalities were members of the team.

The plane, a Yak-42, had a capacity of more than 100 passengers, but it is thought only 37 people - including four crew members - were on board.

The country has a poor aviation safety record. In July this year a passenger plane crashed in northern Russia and 44 people died.

President Dmitry Medvedev has promised to overhaul the industry and take out of service aging jets from the Soviet era.

To learn more visit www.bbc.co.uk