An airplane with 34 people on board has crashed shortly after taking off from the Kikoboga airstrip inside the Mikumi National Park, according to reports from the conservancy.
It was one of the two accidents that occurred on the strip within hours. One of the ill-fated planes skidded and hit a building.
An official statement from the Tanzania National Parks, further confirms the incident explaining that all the passengers aboard the fated aircraft were however not harmed and walked out of the crash site safely.
The accident occurred in the evening of Tuesday, November 28, 2023.
Senior Conservation Officer in charge of Corporate Communication at the Tanzania National Parks, Catherine Mbena said the plane had 30 passengers, mostly tourists, two pilots and two members of the crew, all of whom were rescued in time.
The Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia twin-turboprop commuter plane with registration 5H-FLM belonging to Unity Air of Zanzibar, was departing from Mikumi, heading to Zanzibar Island after a whole day game drive in the National Park, located in Morogoro region.
According to the TANAPA statement, the landing and taking off runaway at the airstrip remains in good operating condition and that the usual transport and tourism activities in the precinct continues unabated.
The incident was reported to the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation Branch (AAIB) in the Ministry of Transport for further probe into what could be the cause of the accident in the National Park.
On the other hand, alternative arrangements regarding the transportation or connection flights for the tourists involved in the incident have also been taken.
Another Accident
It was also reported that prior to the said accident, another E120 plane belonging to the same company, Unity Air of Zanzibar had crashed on the same airstrip of Mikumi earlier that morning but the 60 passengers onboard managed to escape with their lives.
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