A Precision Air passenger plane has crashed into Lake Victoria in Tanzania.
Local authorities have confirmed the incident occurred this Sunday morning when the plane was about to land at the Bukoba airport, which is located on the shores of Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa.
"Precision Air flight No. PW 494, which was flying between (the cities of) Dar Es Salam and Bukoba, was involved in an accident while approaching Bukoba airport," the company said in a brief statement posted on the Twitter social network.
Local media reports indicate that the aircraft is a Precision Air ATR42 (Franco-Italian construction) and that it had 49 passengers on board, although this information has not yet been confirmed. The accident could have occurred due to the heavy rains and winds that were recorded in the region.
The Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) network reported that 15 people had been rescued so far, but it was not known how many passengers were on board the Precision Air plane or if there were fatalities.
The aircraft, which had taken off from the capital Dar es Salaam, "fell into Lake Victoria this morning due to storm and heavy rain," TBC reported.
Video footage and photos circulating on social media show the plane almost completely submerged, with only its green and brown tail visible above the waterline.
Rescue boats were deployed and emergency workers continued to rescue other passengers trapped on the plane, TBC added.
Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan called for calm as the rescue operation continued.
“It was with sadness that I received the news of the Precision Air plane crash,” he tweeted. "Let us remain calm at this time as rescuers continue the rescue mission as we pray to God to help us."
