NINETEEN–bodies including two family members found at the site of a passenger plane crash on Lake Victoria near Bukoba airport have been identified.
Atulinde Biteya and Aneth Biteya the two sisters were among the 43 people on the Sunday morning Precision Air flight from Dar es Salaam to Mwanza via Bukoba which crashed 100 meters before landing at the Bukoba airport.
The pilot, Burundi Lubaga who had been captaining planes for over two decades was also pronounced dead. The accident which was described as a “tragedy” by the Precision Air Chief Executive Officer Patrick Mwanri left the country’s aviation industry and the nation horrified.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Zanzibar President Dr Hussein Mwinyi and the Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa have all sent their comfort messages.
Kagera Regional Commissioner Albert Chalamila named the deceased as Neema Faraja, Hanifa Hamza, Aneth Kaaya, Victoria Laurean, Said Malat Lyangana, Iman Paul, and Faraji Yusuph.
Others are Sauli Epimark, Zacharia Mlacha, Eunice Ndirangu, Mtani Njegere, Zaituni Shillah, Dr. Alice Simwinga and the plane’s first officer, Peter Odhiambo.
No other bodies have been recovered. Early reports suggested the accident was a result of bad weather. Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa suspended all flight operations at Bukoba airport indefinitely.
AirTanzania, the national flag carrier also suspended its Sunday flights to Bukoba.
Expert team from the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority (TCAA) is currently in Bukoba investigating the incident.