The Tanzania Government distanced itself from news of initial report of the Bukoba plane crash: ‘Rescue forces would have arrived sooner, many people would have come out alive”
The Tanzanian government has denied issuing a preliminary report on the crash of the Precision Air plane that crashed in Lake Victoria on November six and killed 19 people, including the pilot and his assistant.
The denied report has spread on the internet since Tuesday and was reported by various media inside and outside Tanzania and by the BBC.
The Tanzanian government now through its spokesman Gerson Msigwa says an official report will be released when it is ready and the public will be informed.
However, Msigwa’s responses have sparked debate and been opposed by some people, including Zitto Kabwe, the leader of the ACT Wazalendo opposition party.
Zitto wrote via Twitter, saying he is ready to be taken to Court if the information in the previous report is false.
Zitto wrote via Twitter, saying he is ready to be taken to Court if the information in the previous report is false.
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The ATR 42-500 plane with the number PW 494, which had 43 people, crashed in Lake Victoria a few meters from the Bukoba airport, preparing to land from Dar es Salaam via Mwanza. 24 people survived the accident.
Since the accident happened, the debate has been about who saved the 24 people, after conflicting reports citing Majaliwa Jackson, a resident of Nyamkazi, Bukoba as a hero and others citing the flight attendant and passengers who opened the door of the plane to save people.
The government has also been pointing the finger at the so-called negligence that caused the deaths of those on board, while the full report is eagerly awaited.
James Mbatia, when he spoke to the BBC after the accident, was surprised at the use of rescue technology in the world, despite the development of technology compared to 26 years ago when there was a big accident on the MV Bukoba ship, referring to the technology of using a rope to pull the plane out of the lake.
“That is, you pull the bird as if you are fishing with a hook in the sea, it is a very shameful thing” said Mbatia and added “those fishermen are the ones who do the work (rescue) when the forces are there, there has been no political will to do the work”.
Minister Bashungwa, speaking at the Kaitaba field during the farewell to the bodies of 19 people who died in the accident, promised that the government has heard and will work on the opinions of the people to improve rescue equipment.
“In this tragic disaster, we have also received the views of the people on how we need to organize ourselves better in improving the rescue systems and with this responsive government led by our dear president Mr. Samia Suluhu Hassan and we are going to work on them”, said Bashungwa.
Original BBC News of Initial Report (20 November 2022)
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