Tanzanian plane crashes in Lake Victoria, 19 killed

Picture Courtesy: TBC

A small passenger plane crashed Sunday morning into Lake Victoria on approach to an airport in Tanzania, and the country's prime minister, Kassim Majaliwa, says 19 people on board were killed. There were 43 people onboard.

The two pilots initially survived and managed to speak to local officials from the cockpit but the prime minister says they may have since died. Rescuers were able to wade through the water to bring some of those still inside the plane to safety.

The crash occurred around 08:50 local time (05:50 GMT), has been blamed on bad weather. Emergency workers have used ropes to pull the ATR-42 aircraft even closer to the shore, and some of the plane's body is now above the water.

President Samia Suluhu Hassan has expressed her condolences to those affected and called for calm as the rescue operation continues. The plane was flying from Dar es Salaam to Bukoba via Mwanza. Precision Air is Tanzania's largest private airline and is partly owned by Kenya Airways. It was founded in 1993 and operates domestic and regional flights.