At least 17 passengers missing after plane crashes in Tanzania

At least seventeen passengers are missing after a commercial plane crashed in Lake Victoria in Tanzania on Sunday, Persecondnews.com gathered.

“There was an accident involving a Precision Air plane which … crashed into water about 100 metres from the airport,” regional police commander William Mwampaghale told reporters at Bukoba airport.

Twenty-six people had been saved from the partially submerged aircraft, which crashed in the lake as it approached nearby Bukoba airport.

The aircraft is a 1980s-era ATR-42, a twin-engined propeller plane operated by Precision Air, Tanzania’s largest private airline. It crashed in bad weather while making its final approach and shortly afterwards local fishermen were seen at the crash site assisting with the rescue effort.

Regional commissioner Albert Chalamila said 43 people, including 39 passengers, two pilots and two cabin crew, were aboard flight PW494 from financial capital Dar es Salaam to the lakeside city in Kagera region.

“As we speak, we have managed to rescue 26 people who were taken to our referral hospital,” Mr Chalamila said.

“The rescue operation is still ongoing and we are communicating with the pilots,” he said.