A Tanzanian commercial flight crash-landed in Lake Victoria, one of the African Great Lakes and Africa’s largest lake by area, due to bad weather, killing 19 people. The flight was operated by Precision Air.
According to a senior policeman, the weather was turbulent as it was raining heavily and strong winds blew at the time.
Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa, in a statement, said officials were of the opinion that all dead bodies have been recovered from the site. He said, “We’re starting to pull out the luggage and personal items from the aircraft. A team of doctors and security agencies has started the process of identifying the dead and notifying the families.”
In an updated statement by the airline on Sunday, it confirmed the number of deaths and put the number of survivors at 24. However, in an earlier statement, the carrier along with the local officials mentioned 26 survivors had been rescued out of the 43.
It said, “Precision Air extends its deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the passenger and crew involved in this tragic incident. The company will strive to provide them with information and whatever assistance they will require in their difficult time.”
“The names of passengers and crew on board the aircraft will not be released until all next-of-kin have been notified,” it added.
Pictures from the incident showed that the aircraft, scheduled for Bakoba Airport, was majorly immersed in the lake. The flight carrying 39 passengers and four crew members, had taken off from Tanzania’s commercial capital of Dar es Salaam.
Precision Air CEO Patrick Mwanri said, “the plane had departed around 6 a.m. local and had been expected in the northwestern lakeside town of Bukoba at 8.30 a.m. But at 8.53 a.m. our Operations Control Center got a report that that aircraft had not arrived”
The crash is said to have occurred right before its expected arrival at the airport, whose runway starts directly adjacent to Lake Victoria.
After the incident, the regional airline has opened a Crisis Management Center and put in place information areas in Bukoba and Dar es Salaam to communicate with the families of the passengers.
As the incident occurred, Tanzania’s President immediately took to social media and urged to calm down as rescuers worked at the site of a downed plane.
“I have received with sadness the information of the crash of the Precision Air flight at Lake Victoria, in the Kagera region,” President Samia Suluhu Hassan tweeted.
He further wrote, “I send my condolences to all those affected by this incident. Let’s continue to be calm as the rescue operation continues and we pray to God to help us.”
