Tanzania fisherman awarded cash and job for rescuing Precision Air crash victims
A Tanzania fisherman who participated in the rescue mission of 24 passengers when a Precision Air plane crash landed in Lake Victoria, killing 19 others on Sunday, has been awarded cash and a job by the state.
A statement by the Prime Minister’s Office said Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan has ordered the Ministry of Home Affairs to employ the fisherman identified as Majaliwa Jackson in the Tanzania Fire and Rescue Force.
The fisherman was also awarded 1 million Tanzanian Shillings (Sh52,000). He will also receive additional training in rescue operations to sharpen his skills.
Local media reports said the fisherman led other fishermen in rescuing passengers shortly after the plane had crashed on the shores of Lake Victoria, the world’s second-largest freshwater lake by surface area.
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“The fisherman should be trained in the rescue mission,” said Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa in a statement on Monday.
The Prime Minister made the announcement when he led thousands of mourners in paying the final respects to 19 passengers who were killed in the plane crash in Bukoba district in Kagera region, said the statement.
Majaliwa was among the first responders at the site of the crash. He narrated how he escaped death by a whisker as he attempted to save the pilots, Captain Buruhani Bubaga and First Officer Peter Odhiambo, who was stuck in the cockpit.
However, as he attempted to rescue the victims, he was injured and almost died. He was rushed to Kagera Referral Hospital together with 25 injured passengers including a Bukoba Airport employee who was overcome with shock and lost consciousness.
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Tanzania said that 17 passengers and two pilots were killed after Precision Air’s ATR-48 aircraft crash-landed in Lake Victoria on Sunday at around 8:20 am local time as it approached Bukoba airport from the Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam.
According to authorities, a total of 24 people, including 22 passengers and two cabin crew members, were rescued.
Majaliwa said President Hassan also directed that the funerals of the crash victims will be covered by the government.
Meanwhile, the Kagera regional commissioner, Albert Chalamila, said the plane was pulled out of the lake on Sunday night.
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