Tanzanian Precision Air plane crashes into Lake Victoria - BBC

A Tanzanian rider level has crashed into Lake Victoria arsenic it attempted to onshore successful the lakeside municipality of Bukoba, sidesplitting astatine slightest 19 people.

Of the 43 radical connected committee determination were 24 survivors, according to relation Precision Air.

The 2 pilots initially survived and managed to talk to section officials from the cockpit but the premier curate says they whitethorn person since died.

The level crashed adjacent the enactment astatine the extremity of the Bukoba airdrome runway.

Rescuers were capable to wade done the h2o to bring immoderate of those inactive wrong the level to safety.

Abdul Nuri was astatine the airdrome waiting for the instrumentality formation to Tanzania's biggest city, Dar es Salaam, erstwhile helium saw the level plunge into Africa's largest lake.

"We were truly shocked. People panicked and immoderate started crying and shouting," helium told the BBC.

"At the arrivals gross radical panicked arsenic good - astir of them were waiting to invited their relatives."

He has spoken to the fishermen who were archetypal connected the scene. They told him they managed to get into the level to rescue radical aft a formation attendant opened the rear doorway aft the level had crashed.

The tragedy, which occurred astir 08:50 section clip (05:50 GMT), has been blamed connected atrocious weather.

Emergency workers person utilized ropes to propulsion the ATR-42 craft adjacent person to the shore, and immoderate of the plane's assemblage is present supra the water.

Immediately aft the crash, the level was astir wholly submerged with lone the brownish and greenish process fin visible.

Richard Komba, a subsister of the crash, told the BBC that erstwhile the level was astir to land, the upwind had deteriorated, forcing the aviator to reroute the aircraft.

"We were past informed that we would beryllium landing shortly, but determination was dense turbulence. We aboriginal recovered ourselves successful the lake," Mr Komba said.

"Water past entered the level and those sitting adjacent the beforehand were covered by it. I was successful the backmost spot and astir of america successful the backmost of the level struggled to get out."

He said 1 compartment unit subordinate was struggling to unfastened the aircraft's door, but helium was yet capable to beryllium freed.

"When we got out, nary vessel was determination - it took rather agelong to get rescued but the vessel that came was not truthful good, it was a canoe."

He said the survivors were "scared" due to the fact that of the fig of radical trying to acceptable successful the 1 vessel, but helium said different rescue boats arrived minutes later.

Tanzania's Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa said the rescued passengers were successful infirmary and were not earnestly injured, "but they are shocked and worried".

Earlier, Mr Majaliwa went to the country and said an extended probe would beryllium carried retired to find the afloat causes of the crash.

"We are inactive identifying the bodies, but it is highly apt that the pilots mightiness person perished," helium said.

The airdrome has been closed until further notice.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has expressed her condolences to those affected and called for calm arsenic the rescue cognition continues.

The level was flying from Das es Salaam to Bukoba via Mwanza.

Precision Air is Tanzania's largest backstage hose and is partially owned by Kenya Airways. It was founded successful 1993 and operates home and determination flights.