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The plane, which took off from Dar es Salaam, “fell in Lake Victoria this morning due to storms and heavy rain,” TBC reported.
At least 19 people were killed on Sunday when a passenger plane crashed on Lake Victoria in Tanzania as it attempted to land at an airport in the lakeside city of Bukoba in stormy weather.
“All Tanzanians join you in mourning these 19 people … who lost their lives,” Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told reporters in Bukoba.
According to the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC), 15 people have been rescued so far, but it is unclear how many passengers were on the Precision Air flight or if anyone died.
The plane, which took off from Dar es Salaam, “fell in Lake Victoria this morning due to storms and heavy rain,” TBC reported.
Video footage and images circulating on social media showed the plane almost completely submerged, with only its green and brown tail visible above the waterline of Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake.
TBC added that rescue boats had been dispatched and emergency crews were continuing to rescue other passengers trapped on the plane.
Precision Air, Tanzania’s largest private airline, identified the plane as flight PW 494 and said it “had an accident approaching Bukoba Airport”. The airline’s statement gave no further details.
Tanzanian President Samia Suruhu Hassan called for calm as rescue operations continued.
“I am saddened to receive news of an accident involving the Precision Air plane,” she tweeted. “As rescuers continue their rescue mission, let’s remain calm and ask God to help us.”
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