Following the death of 19 people in a plane crash in Tanzania, Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa held a funeral service on Monday for the missing passengers.
The prayers were held at the Bukoba football stadium in the country’s northwest, according to regional commissioner Albert Chalamila.
Precision Air, Tanzania’s largest private airline, crashed with 43 passengers on board on Sunday morning after being damaged.
I send my condolences to you all for your great loss. I also want to assure you that we will not rest until the investigation is complete and we know exactly what the cause of this accident was. particular, what
happened to cause the plane to crash, said Kassim Majaliwa, Prime Minister of Tanzania.
The accident happened near the shore of Lake Victoria, at the end of the runway at Bukoba airport, while travelling from the capital, Dar es Salaam.
Rescuers praised for helping save lives
24 people survived Sunday’s crash which police said resulted from “bad weather” conditions.
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan praised emergency workers and volunteers who helped in the rescue efforts.
I congratulate those who participated in the rescue, including the people of Bukoba, Hassan said on Twitter. He also called for the “deceased to rest in peace and for the injured to recover quickly.
On Monday, the regional commissioner of Kagera’s northern region singled out a local fisherman for his efforts in rescuing victims. Because of the rescue operation, the fisherman was hospitalized and was awarded one million Tanzanian shillings ($430, €428).
“We will… improve the government response to such accidents in partnership with the private sector,” Defense Minister Innocent Bashungwa said at the ceremony.
French investigators being deployed to Tanzania
Meanwhile, French air accident investigators will be sent to Tanzania to assist local authorities.
According to Reuters, a spokesperson for France’s BEA air accident investigation agency said a team would be sent, along with technical advisers from the Franco-Italian plane company ATR, which built the ATR 42-500 turboprop aircraft that crashed.
ATR said in a statement that specialists were “responding in line with established international protocols to support the investigation,” The company added that it was “fully engaged to support the customer and the investigation.”
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