19 dead as passenger plane crashes into Tanzania lake

At least 19 people died when a passenger plane crashed into Lake Victoria in Tanzania yesterday while trying to land at a nearby airport, the prime minister and airline said. Flight PW494, operated by Precision Air, hit the water during storms and heavy rain, the state Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) reported. Rescuers in boats rushed to the wreckage, which was almost fully submerged, to pull out trapped passengers, local authorities said. “All Tanzanians join you in mourning these 19 people ... who have lost their lives,” Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told reporters in the lakeside city of Bukoba, close to the scene of the crash. Investigators were looking into what happened, he added. The plane left the commercial capital Dar es Salaam and “crash-landed” at 8:53am (0553 GMT) as it was approaching Bukoba airport, Precision Air – Tanzania’s largest privately owned airline  – said in a statement. The plane was carrying 39 passengers, including an infant, as well as four crew members, the airline added. It initially said 26 of the 43 people on board were rescued but later said 24 survivors were reported by emergency services at the scene. A witness told TBC he saw the plane flying unsteadily as it approached the airport in poor visibility, saying it took a turn for the airport but missed and went into the lake. Video and pictures on social media showed the plane almost fully submerged, with only its green and brown-coloured tail visible above the waterline of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake. Footage from the broadcaster and onlookers showed scores of residents standing along the shoreline and others wading into the shallow waters to try to pull the aircraft closer to shore with ropes. The two pilots survived the crash and were in touch with rescue workers from the cockpit before reporting that their oxygen supply was dwindling, Albert Chalamila, chief administrator of Tanzania’s Kagera region, told Reuters.