VIDEO: Tanzanian plane with 49 on board crashes into Lake Victoria, search on for missing passengers

Gulf Today Report

A plane belonging to the airline "Precision Air" crashed in Lake Victoria while trying to land at an airport in Bukoba, the official Tanzania Broadcasting Corporation said on Sunday.

The authority added that 15 people have been rescued so far, and media outlets indicate that there were 49 passengers on board the plane.

The report stated that the plane took off from the airport in the capital, Dar es Salaam, and fell into Lake Victoria due to a storm and heavy rain.

Bukoba Airport is located on the coast of Victoria, Africa's largest lake.

Video clips and photos spread on social media showed the plane almost completely submerged, with only its tail visible.

The Tanzanian Broadcasting Corporation said that the authorities sent rescue boats and deployed emergency workers to continue the search and rescue the survivors stranded in the plane.

Tanzanian President Samia Hassan called for calm while rescue operations continued.

She wrote on Twitter: "It is with great sadness that I hear the news of the Precision Air crash. Let's calm down at this moment when the rescuers continue their mission, while we pray to God to help us."

Precision Air is the largest private airline in Tanzania.