The crash of the Precision Air plane today in Lake Victoria, Tanzania, with 43 passengers on board, killed 19 people, according to the prime minister.
“All Tanzanians join you in mourning the 19 people who lost their lives in this accident,” Kasim Majaliwa told people gathered for information at the Bukoba airport, where the plane was due to land from Dar es Salaam.
A previous balance indicated three deaths.
The plane that crashed was an ATR 42-500 turboprop from the local private company Precision Air.
“There was an accident with a Precision Air plane that … fell into the water about 100 meters from the airport,” regional police commander William Mwampaghale previously told reporters at the Bukoba airport.
Regional Commissioner Albert Chalamila explained that among the 43 people on board, there were 39 passengers, the two pilots and two crew members. He reported that 26 people were rescued.
It’s unclear whether the death toll also includes rescuers who drowned in the lake or whether the plane had more people on board, a regional official said.
“We are continuing the investigation, it is possible that two people who were not on board died during the rescue operations,” said Albert Chalamila.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed her condolences to the people affected by the accident.
“Let’s keep calm as the rescue operations continue and pray to God to help us,” he wrote on Twitter.
Precision Air, Tanzania’s largest private airline, released a brief statement confirming the accident.
Part-owned by Kenya Airways, the company was founded in 1993 and operates domestic and regional flights and private charters to popular tourist destinations such as Serengeti National Park and the Zanzibar Archipelago.
The accident comes five years after 11 people were killed when a safari company plane crashed in northern Tanzania.
Source: DN
