Precision Air plane crashes into Lake Victoria, 26 rescued
The scene of the Accident
Precision Air scheduled flight from Dar es Salaam to Bukoba has on Sunday, November 6, crashed into Lake Victoria almost 100 meters before landing at Bukoba Airport at 8:35am.
Latest reports according to the Regional Commissioner Albert Chalamila, 26 have been rescued and are currently at Kagera Hospital.
The plane PW 494 -5H-PWF, flying from Dar-Bukoba-Mwanza had 43 passengers and crew on board, the cause of the crash is yet to be known but unconfirmed reports have attributed it to bad weather.
Of those on board 39 were passengers, two cabin crew and two pilots, this is according to Kagera Regional Commissioner, Albert Chalamila.
The plane was reportedly under the stewardship of Captain Buruhani Rubaga.
According to Kagera Regional Police Commander (RPC), William Mwampaghale, has said rescue efforts are ongoing.
Video footage broadcast on local media showed the plane largely submerged as rescuers waded through water to bring people to safety.
Emergency workers attempted to lift the aircraft out of the water using ropes, assisted by cranes.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed her condolences to those affected by the accident.
"Let's continue to be calm while the rescue operation continues as we pray to God to help us," she said on Twitter.
Precision Air, which is partly owned by Kenya Airways, was founded in 1993 and operates domestic and regional flights as well as private charters to popular tourist destinations such as the Serengeti National Park and Zanzibar. The accident comes five years after 11 people died when a plane belonging to safari company Coastal Aviation crashed in northern Tanzania.In March 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines flight from from Addis Ababa to Nairobi plunged six minutes after take-off into a field southeast of the Ethiopian capital, killing all 157 people on board.In 2007, a Kenya Airways flight from the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan to Kenya's capital Nairobi crashed into a swamp after take-off, killing all 114 passengers.In 2000 another Kenya Airways flight from Abidjan to Nairobi crashed into the Atlantic Ocean minutes after take-off, killing 169 people while 10 survived.
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