CRASH INTO LAKE VICTORIA: Tanzania President calls for calm
3 min read
Tanzania President, HE Samia Suluhu Hassan
An eyewitness account has given the picture of the scenario that played out before Precision Air’s ATR-42, aircraft ditched into Lake Victoria while approaching for landing at the Bukoba airport.
Tanzanian President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, who was on a state visit to France reached for her Twitter handle and called for calm while the rescue operations continued.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, tweeted, “I have received with sadness the news of the accident involving Precision Air’s plane. Let’s be calm at this moment when rescuers are continuing with the rescue mission while praying to God to help us.”
The Tanzania Prime Minister, Kassim Majaliwa, who gave the death toll as 19, added that 26 passengers were rescued and taken to the hospital.
It was not clear whether all the passengers at the hospital’s emergency responded positively to treatment.
EYE WITNESS ACCOUNT
One of the passengers on board the ill-fated aircraft, who is still receiving treatment in the hospital, recounted that taken off from Dar es salaam at about 6.15 am Sunday, 6th November. was smooth and seamless.
The passenger who local media said demanded anonymity until investigating authority conclude its task said, on approaching the destination airport, Bukoba, the Pilot announced that heavy rain with an unsafe amount of storm prevailed.
Hence the Pilot delayed arrival and overflew the airport to another region up to the border area of Uganda and made a turn back.
However, he narrated that the Pilot prepared the mind of all passengers on board for the likelihood of an air return if the same unfavourable weather condition still obtains at the Bukoba airport.
The passenger who is still being treated for shock and sprained clavicle said, after a while on the return from the Uganda border, he noticed the Captain commencing the procedure for landing as he felt gradual descent.
The passenger likely to be in his mid-40s, said when he established that landing was imminent because the speed was greatly reduced, and aircraft descent strongly felt, he took a good gaze from the window believing the rain must have stopped, going by the conditions earlier stated by the Pilot, before landing could be performed.
The passenger said he was grieved in his spirit when he noticed it was still raining yet the aircraft was descending against what was initially announced to the passengers.
He said he was in that position of shock and grief when the aircraft entered very serious turbulence right on Victoria lake.
His words, “I began wondering if a quick pull up and return to Dare es salaam would save the day or a maneuvering outside the turbulent area, and make few circles until the situation calms and make another attempt at landing”
The passenger narrated that hardly had his spirit settled when he was blinded with a great thud and the aircraft seated on the waters of Africa’s most famous lake, Lake Victoria.
He said the rest was history. The passenger added that he was dismayed by the time frame before the rescue came. The initial rescuers were the fishermen. The boat they offered also posed a threat to safety “but I thank God for being alive. And I sympathize with those who lost their loved ones”.
WHO OWNS PRECISION AIR TANZANIA?
Precision Air Services Plc is a Tanzanian airline based at Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam. The airline operates scheduled passenger services to Nairobi, Entebbe, and to both airports and airstrips throughout Tanzania
The 7,056 new shareholders have taken a stake of 16% in the company. 58% of the company is owned by Tanzanians, 41% Kenya Airways and 1% by other nationals. The anchor share holders, being Kenya Airways and local Tanzanian businessman
How reliable is precision air?
According to the Aviation Safety Network, Precision Air is a Tanzanian carrier. Frequent travellers give this airline an average rating of 6.9/10.
The airline’s name, PRECISION, was drawn from the acronym of each of its letters;
P- People First
R- Respect
E- Efficiency
C- Customer First
I – Integrity
S – Safety above all
E – Empowerment
Headquarters: Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Alliance: Kenya Airways
Founded: 1993
Destinations: 14 (May 2019)
Hubs: Kilimanjaro International Airport – KIA (JRO), Julius Nyerere International Airport, Arusha Airport, Mwanza International Airport
Subsidiaries: Precise Systems Limited, Precision Handling Limited
**Wikipedia
About Post Author
