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Photos: Plane crashes into Lake Victoria in Tanzania

Rescuers attempt to recover the Precision Air passenger plane that crashed and left at least 19 people dead.

Rescuers attempt to recover the Precision Air passenger plane that crashed into Lake Victoria
Rescuers attempt to recover the Precision Air passenger plane that crashed into Lake Victoria in Tanzania. [Reuters]
Published On 6 Nov 2022

A plane carrying 43 people made a crash landing into Lake Victoria on Sunday while attempting to reach a nearby airport in Tanzania.

At least 19 people were killed when the plane, operated by Precision Air, crash-landed on approach to the lakeside city of Bukoba, according to Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa. The airline had said earlier that 26 people had been rescued from the plane.

Flight PW 494, which departed from the commercial capital Dar es Salaam, “crash-landed” into the lake as it was approaching the lakeside city of Bukoba.

The cause was not immediately clear, but the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) said the incident took place amid storms and heavy rains.

Video and pictures circulating on social media showed the plane almost fully submerged, with only its green- and brown-coloured tail visible above the water line of Africa’s largest lake.

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan called for calm as the rescue operation continued.

“I have received with sadness the news of the accident involving Precision Air’s plane,” she tweeted. “Let’s be calm at this moment when rescuers are continuing with the rescue mission while praying for God to help us.”

Rescue operations underway after a plane carrying 43 people crashed into Lake Victoria
Rescue operations are underway after a plane carrying 43 people crashed into Lake Victoria in Tanzania during bad weather shortly before its scheduled landing. [EPA-EFE]
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Rescuers attempt to recover the Precision Air passenger plane.
Rescuers gather at the crash site of Precision Air's passenger plane near the shore of Lake Victoria. [Reuters]
Rescue boats were deployed as emergency workers continued to pull trapped passengers from the plane, the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation reported. [Reuters]
Rescue boats congregate around the tail section of the crashed ATR 42 Precision Air plane in Lake Victoria. [Reuters]
Local residents gather as rescuers search for survivors after a Precision Air flight crashed.
Residents gather as rescuers search for survivors after the plane carrying 43 people plunged into Lake Victoria as it attempted to land in the lakeside town of Bukoba. [Sitide Protase/AFP]
Rescue operations underway after a plane carrying 43 people crashed into Lake Victoria in Tanzania
Rescue workers were in touch with the pilots in the cockpit and were attempting to pull the plane from the lake, Tanzanian officials told reporters. [EPA]
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Rescue operations underway after a plane carrying 43 people crashed into Lake Victoria.
Rescue operations continue after a plane carrying 43 people crashed into Lake Victoria in Tanzania. "All Tanzanians join you in mourning these 19 people … who have lost their lives," Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told reporters in Bukoba. [EPA]
Tanzania plane crash
A rescuer ties a winch to pull out the crashed Precision Air flight that was carrying 43 people and plunged into Lake Victoria as it attempted to land in the lakeside town of Bukoba. [Sitide Protase/AFP]