Nov. 6—At least 19 people died after a passenger plane crashed in Lake Victoria in Tanzania on Sunday. As many as 26 survivors — of the 43 people on board flight PW 494 — were rescued and taken to the hospital.
"All Tanzanians are with you in mourning the 19 people who lost lives during this accident," Tanzania Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa told reporters in Bukoba, a city close to the scene of the crash.
Here are the top points:
1) Flight PW494, operated by Precision Air, hit the water during storms and heavy rain, Reuters reported, citing state-run Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC).
2) The plane's wreckage was reportedly almost fully submerged when rescuers in boats rushed to pull out trapped passengers.
3) Majaliwa said investigators were still trying to figure out what caused the incident.
4) It was not immediately clear if the 19 victims included rescuers who drowned or whether the 48-seater aircraft had more people on board than previously disclosed.
5) "We are continuing to investigate, there is a possibility that two people were not onboard but died during the rescue effort," an official was quoted.
6) In a statement, Precision Air, Tanzania's largest private airline, said the aircraft was an ATR 42-500, manufactured by Toulouse-based Franco-Italian firm ATR. "Precision Air sincerely understands the anxiety for confirmed information and will therefore do its best to issue more details," it added.
7) Video footage broadcast on local media showed the plane largely submerged as rescuers, with emergency workers attempting to lift the aircraft out of the water using ropes, assisted by cranes as residents also sought to help.
8) Rescue workers were initially in touch with the pilots in the cockpit, Albert Chalamila, chief administrator of Tanzania's Kagera region, told reporters. The prime minister later said the pilots may have died.
(With AFP, Reuters inputs)
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