At least 19 people died when a passenger plane crashed into Lake Victoria in Tanzania on Sunday while trying to land at a nearby airport, the prime minister and airline said.
The aircraft was travelling to Bukoba airport when it “crash landed” at 8.53am (5.53am GMT), Precision Air said in a statement.
Previously authorities said 26 of the 43 people on board the flight from the country’s biggest city, Dar es Salaam, had been rescued and taken to hospital.
“We have managed to save quite a number of people,” Kagera province police commander William Mwampaghale told journalists.
“When the aircraft was about 100 metres (328ft) midair, it encountered problems and bad weather. It was raining and the plane plunged into the wwater. Everything is under control,” he said.
The plane “fell in Lake Victoria this morning due to storms and heavy rains”, according to the Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation.
