Two people survived with serious injuries after the disaster, which saw the jet burst into flames shortly after leaving an airport near the city.

It appears many of the team were aboard, heading to Belarus for the season's first match.

Russian reports suggest the Yak-42 plane may have struck a radio mast.

Witnesses saw it burst into flames shortly after taking off from the Tunoshna airport, about 250km (160 miles) north-east of Moscow.

Some of the wreckage and bodies fell in the nearby River Tunoshna, a tributary of the Volga.

All 11 foreign citizens on board the plane were killed, including the team's Canadian coach, Brad McCrimmon, and Swedish goalie Stefan Liv.

Russian player Alexander Galimov survived the crash with 80% burns along with a member of the crew. Local media briefly reported the player had died of his injuries, but a doctor at the local hospital later said he was still alive after undergoing surgery.

The second survivor was identified as Alexander Sizov, member of the eight-strong crew.

The chairman of the board of directors of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), Vyacheslav Fetisov, described the air disaster as an "irreparable loss for world ice hockey".

Ice hockey is the team sport of choice for many Russian men, along with football.