Watch: Plane with 43 aboard crashes into lake in Tanzania, 3 die

A passenger plane crashed into the lake Victoria in Tanzania on Sunday killing three people. The plane that was reportedly carrying 43 people plunged into the lake as it approached the northwestern city of Bukoba, AFP reported. 

The latest update says that rescuers have pilled out twenty six passengers till now. The Precision Air plane crashed due to bad weather, with 43 people, including 39 passengers, aboard flight PW 494 from the financial capital Dar es Salaam to the lakeside city, according to regional authorities.

Several videos of the crashed plane went viral on social media, wherein rescuers are seen rushing to the plane to pull out passengers to safety. 

“Three are reported dead. Rescue is ongoing,” the fire and rescue service said in a statement, urging people to “remain calm”, reported AFP. 

Precision Air, a publicly-listed company which is Tanzania’s largest private airline, said it had dispatched rescuers to the scene.

“An investigation team consisting of Precision Air technical staff and TAA (Tanzania Airports Authority) has also departed to join the rescue team on the ground,” the airline said in a statement.

“Precision Air sincerely understands the anxiety for confirmed information and will therefore do its best to issue more details,” the company said.

“The next update will be issued as soon as we receive more information from the accident scene.”

It said the aircraft was an ATR 42-500, manufactured by Toulouse-based Franco-Italian firm ATR.

Video footage broadcast on local media showed the plane largely submerged as rescuers, including fishermen, waded through water to bring people to safety.

Emergency workers attempted to lift the aircraft out of the water using ropes, assisted by cranes as local residents also sought to help in the effort.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan expressed her condolences to those affected by the accident.

“Let’s continue to be calm while the rescue operation continues as we pray to God to help us,” she said on Twitter.

Precision Air, which is partly owned by Kenya Airways, was founded in 1993 and operates domestic and regional flights as well as private charters to popular tourist destinations such as the Serengeti National Park and the Zanzibar archipelago.

The accident comes five years after 11 people died when a plane belonging to safari company Coastal Aviation crashed in northern Tanzania.

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