All 30 foreign tourists, two pilots, and one cabin crew earlier this week remained safe after their plane crash-landed on an airstrip in the Mikumi National Park in eastern Tanzania, authorities said.
Catherine Mbena, the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) senior conservation officer for corporate communications, said in a statement that the plane - an Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia - that was flying from Tanzania's Zanzibar crash-landed on the airstrip at 9:40am local time after it had experienced technical glitch.
"The pilots worked hard in collaboration with officials of the airstrip to ensure that all passengers on board were safe," said the statement, adding that the tourists later continued with their scheduled tour of the national park.
The statement said TANAPA has contacted the Ministry of Transport to launch an investigation into the cause of the technical glitch that forced the plane to crash-land.
The first plane, which was transporting 30 tourists from Tanzania's Zanzibar, veered off the runway while on approach to the airstrip of the park due to a technical glitch in the morning, followed by crash-landing of a second plane at the same airstrip in the evening.
The second plane, with 30 passengers aboard, mostly tourists, was destined for Zanzibar, according to a statement by the Tanzania National Parks.
Both planes are affiliated with Unity Air Zanzibar. The Ministry of Transport is conducting investigations into both incidents.