Tanzania pays tearful tribute to plane crash victims
The CitizenNov 07, 2022
On Sunday, at least 19 people died when a Precision Air flight — Tanzania's largest privately-owned airline — crashed into Lake Victoria, reportedly due to storms and heavy rains. The plane, carrying 43 people, was attempting to land at a nearby airport in the lakeside town of Bukoba.
The flight took off from Tanzania’s commercial capital Dar es Salaam. The airline had initially reported 26 survivors but later revised the number to 24. A funeral service was held in Bukoba on Monday.
This is the third deadly plane crash in Tanzania since 1999, and it's time for the government to consider reconfiguring its emergency response protocol for such events. With Tanzanians' justified anger over Sunday's forced improvised rescue effort, improvements in both the public and private sectors must be made.
This tragedy was the result of unfortunate bad weather. Thankfully the veteran pilot correctly chose to crash in the lake, most likely saving more lives than if he had crashed on land. The airline will now conduct a thorough investigation to prevent a repeat of this incident, and the rescue efforts that saved many lives should be commended.