What is known about the plane that crashed into a lake in Tanzania

Athuman Metwally
From the BBC’s Swahili News in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania)

9 hours ago

Rescue teams around the submerged plane — Illustrative image,

Part of the plane can be seen in the water, surrounded by boats and rescue workers.

A passenger plane crashed in Tanzania’s Lake Victoria while trying to land in the lakeside town of Bukoba, killing 19 people.

The Precision Air flight was carrying 43 people, 24 of whom survived.

The two pilots and two crew members were among those not found yet. Rescue teams and local fishermen are searching the area.

The plane is almost completely submerged, with only the aft end (known as the fin) above the water, surrounded by lifeguards and fishing boats.

One end of the Bukoba Airport runway is located right next to the lake.

Emergency crews use ropes in an attempt to tow an ATR-42 aircraft from Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lake.

“We want to see if the landing gear is stuck so we can request more technical assistance to get it out of the water,” said Albert Chalamella, a senior regional official.

Tanzanian President Samia Solo Hassan expressed her condolences to those affected by the accident and urged calm as the rescue operation continued.

The plane was on its way from Das El Salam, Tanzania’s largest city, to Bukoba via Mwanza, when it was said to have encountered a storm and heavy rain.

Precision Air is the largest private airline in Tanzania and is partly owned by Kenya Airways. Founded in 1993, it operates domestic and regional flights.

– This text was originally published at https://www.bbc.com/portuguese/internacional-63533519