Pretoria - As condolences continued to pour in for the families of the Russian hockey players who died in a plane crash, President Jacob Zuma has also expressed his sadness on behalf of the people of South Africa.
He said he had learnt with "profound sadness" the news of the crash of a Russian jet carrying a top ice hockey Team.
The crash is reported to have claimed the lives of more than 40 people.
Fans and players across the world paid tribute to the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl team, the day after the Soviet-designed Yak-42 passenger plane slammed into a river bank just outside Yaroslavl, 250km north of Moscow.
Emergency workers quoted by Russian news agencies said they were still searching the waters of the Volga River where the plane crashed. Two people survived but were said to be in a "grave" condition.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the Russian people and, particularly, the families of the deceased during this difficult time of mourning and sadness," Zuma said in a statement released by his office on Thursday. - BuaNews
