We are furious about the state’s handling of the Bukoba crash
Workers use a crane to pull the crashed Precision Air aircraft out of Lake Victoria in Bukoba, Tanzania on November 8, 2022. The plane crashed on November 6, 2022 while trying to land. PHOTO | SITIDE PROTASE | AFP
Last weekend, Precision Air flight number PW494 from Dar es Salaam to Bukoba crashed into Lake Victoria about 100 metres off the shore of the lake. There were 39 passengers on board and four crew. Nineteen souls were lost in the crash, including the pilots.
Air transport disasters can be complicated. Out of respect for the departed and their families and general professionalism, I have confined myself to the Precision Air notices to the public and will hold off on any speculations as to the “why” of it until the results of a formal investigation by a credible agency has been carried out and released to the public. But we have been talking about the response to the disaster. Fishermen were the first responders and did their best to rescue passengers trapped in the aircraft which was not fully submerged.
