Plane Crashes Into Lake Victoria In Tanzania. precision air crash latest news: lake victoria plane crash today
At least 19 passengers were killed when a passenger plane from Tanzania crashed into Lake Victoria while trying to land in the lakeside town of Bukoba. Operator Precision Air reports that 24 of the 43 passengers were still alive.
Plane Crashes Into Lake Victoria In Tanzania
The two pilots initially made it out alive and were able to communicate with local authorities from the cockpit, but the prime minister believes they may have passed away by now. At the end of the runway at the Bukoba airport, the plane fell close to the water.
Some of the people who were still inside the jet may be rescued by rescuers wading into the water. Abdul Nuri witnessed the plane crash into Africa’s largest lake while he was at the airport waiting for the return trip to Tanzania’s main city, Dar es Salaam.
“We were very surprised. People began to fear, some of whom began to sob and exclaim “To the BBC, he spoke. People worried at the arrivals gate as well; the majority of them were there to greet their relatives. The initial responders who were fishers, he has spoken with them. They claimed that after the jet crashed, a flight attendant unlocked the rear door, allowing them to enter the wreckage and rescue passengers.
The catastrophe, which happened at 05:50 GMT/8:50 local, has the weather to thank for it. Some of the ATR-42’s body is now above the water as emergency personnel used ropes to pull the plane even nearer to the beach. The aircraft was almost entirely immersed in water following the crash, with only the brown and green tail fin still visible.
The weather had gotten worse just as the plane was ready to touch down, causing the pilot to change course, according to Richard Komba, a crash survivor, who spoke to the BBC. “Then we were told that we would be landing soon but that there was a lot of turbulence. Later, we discovered ourselves in the lake “explained Mr. Komba.
“Then water entered the aircraft, covering the seats at the front. Most of us in the back of the plane, where I was sitting, struggled to exit.” He claimed that while one member of the cabin crew was struggling to open the aircraft’s door, he was eventually able to free himself.
“There was no boat there when we got out; it took a while to get rescued, and the boat that arrived was not very nice; it was a canoe.” The number of people trying to squeeze in the one craft, he claimed, had “scared” the survivors, but more rescue boats, he claimed, arrived minutes later.
The rescued passengers are in the hospital and are not gravely hurt, according to Tanzania’s Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa, “but they are stunned and scared.”
Mr. Majaliwa had earlier visited the scene and promised a thorough inquiry to ascertain the full causes of the collision.
It is quite likely that the pilots may have died, he said, adding that the bodies are still being identified. Airport operations have been suspended until further notice. As the rescue effort goes on, President Samia Suluhu Hassan has sent her sympathies to the affected parties and urged restraint.
The route of the aircraft was via Mwanza from Dar es Salaam to Bukoba. Kenya Airways owns a portion of Precision Air, the largest privately owned airline in Tanzania. It began operations in 1993 and flies both domestically and regionally.
