A Precision Air ATR42 regional airliner crashed into Lake Victoria in Tanzania, the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) reported.
The incident happened early on November 6, 2022, when the Precision Air ATR42 turboprop, registered 5H-PWE, was operating scheduled passenger flight PW494 between Dar-es-Salaam (DAR), the capital of Tanzania, and Bukoba (BKZ), in the northwest part of the country.
According to local media, the crash happened in stormy weather conditions, after the pilots unsuccesfully attempted to land at the destination airport. The plane, which was reportedly carrying 39 travelers, crashed into Africa’s largest lake, Lake Victoria.
A witness shared video footage of the incident site, which showed the sinking aircraft. Only the plane’s tail was visible above the lake water line.
L’ATR 42-500 de Precision Air est immatriculé 5H-PWE.
19 personnes secourues pour l’instant.
— air plus news (@airplusnews) November 6, 2022
A rescue team has been dispatched to the scene.
19 fatalities and 24 survivors have been reported by the emergency services at the scene of the accident, according to Precision Air.
UPDATE 08-11-2022, 10:00 (UTC +3): The article was updated with a statement of the airline reporting the final death toll.