adminBUKOBA. – A Tanzanian passenger plane has crashed into Lake Victoria as it attempted to land in the lakeside town of Bukoba, killing at least three people.
The Precision Air flight was carrying 43 people, 26 of whom have been rescued and sent to hospital, an official said.
The two pilots survived the crash but remain trapped inside the cockpit and have been speaking to local officials.
Rescue workers and local fishermen are on the scene trying to rescue those still inside the aircraft.
Emergency workers have used ropes to pull the ATR-42 aircraft closer to the shore of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake. One end of the runway at Bukoba airport lies right next to the shore.
After the crash, the plane was almost completely submerged with only the brown and green tail fin above the water.
Top regional official Albert Chalamila said that three bodies had been recovered so far following the crash, which has been blamed on bad weather.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has expressed her condolences to those affected and called for calm as the rescue operation continues.
The plane was flying from Tanzania’s biggest city, Das es Salaam, to Bukoba via Mwanza.
Precision Air is Tanzania’s largest private airline and is partly owned by Kenya Airways.
It was founded in 1993 and operates domestic and regional flights. —BC
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter