In Tanzania, an airliner crashed into Lake Victoria on Sunday, November 6, due to bad weather. At least three people were killed, according to an initial assessment of the emergency services and firefighters. The accident has happened shortly before landing in the town of Bukoba, in the northwest of the country. “There was an accident of a plane from [la compagnie aérienne] Precision Air which crashed into the water about 100m from the airport”said the regional police commander.
“Rescue operations continue”, said the emergency services. Earlier in the day, thehe regional police commissioner said that 43 people, including 39 passengers, the two pilots and two crew members, were on board the flight from Dar es Salaam, the economic capital of the country, to Bukoba, a city located by the lake. “As we speak, we have managed to save 26 people who have been evacuated to a hospital”he added.
Still according to this regional police official, thehe plane in question is an ATR 42, a model manufactured by the Franco-Italian company ATR in Toulouse. Precision Air, which is Tanzania’s largest private airline, released a brief statement confirming the accident.
Notice to the public pic.twitter.com/QvdMGeMynq
—Precision Air (@PrecisionAirTz) November 6, 2022
Videos released to local media show the plane largely submerged as rescuers in the water attempt to pick up survivors. Rescuers attempt to lift the plane out of the water using cables and cranes.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed her condolences to those affected by the accident. “Let’s keep calm as the rescue operations continue and pray for God to help us”she said on Twitter.