Faith Nyasuguta
Fourteen people are still missing after a Saturday crash of a Tanzanian plane.
It is said that the light aircraft registered in Tanzania and owned by a Zanzibar-based firm crashed into the sea off the coast of Comoros.
Airline AB Aviation said its small Cessna plane disappeared from the radar about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) from its destination during its flight between the capital Moroni and the city of Fomboni on the island of Moheli.
Captain Mohammed Mazrui, whose firm, Fly Zanzibar Limited, owned the aircraft, told a local media outlet that the plane was leased to a Comorian carrier, and was flying to Fomboni city when the accident occurred.
The aircraft had 12 passengers and two crew on board, with the Comoros government saying the passengers were Comorian and the two pilots were Tanzanian.
According to reports, rescuers in the Comoros were looking for survivors, but their work was being hampered by unfavorable weather.
Senior police officer Abdel-Kader Mohamed said three speedboats had been sent to the estimated crash site “which allowed us to collect debris from the plane and objects belonging to the passengers”.
“Tomorrow, we will continue the search. As long as we have not found any bodies, there is hope,” he added.
Support is being offered to the affected families on Moheli and Moroni’s island of Grande Comore.
“I have no hope. From tomorrow, we’re going to start mourning my sister,” Idi Boina, 55, whose sister was one of the passengers, told AFP in Moroni.
The authorities indicated that they had asked for Help from the neighbouring French territory of Mayotte.
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