19 dead after passenger plane crashes in Tanzania
6 November 2022, 16:03
Nineteen people have died after a small passenger plane crashed into Lake Victoria on approach to an airport in Tanzania.
Twenty-six of the 43 people on board the Precision Air flight were initially rescued and rushed to hospital.
The plane's pilots survived the initial crash and managed to speak to local officials from the cockpit but the prime minister says they may have since died.
The plane crashed on approach to Bukoba Airport. Precision Air is a Tanzanian airline company.
News reports showed photos of the plane mostly submerged in the lake.
"We have managed to save quite a number of people," Kagera province police commander William Mwampaghale told journalists.
"When the aircraft was about 100 metres (328ft) midair, it encountered problems and bad weather. It was raining and the plane plunged into the water," he said.
Mr Mwampaghale said rescue efforts were continuing involving emergency services and local fishermen.
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.
