David Kezio Musoke, Isaac Imaka & Dorothy Nakaweesi
14 November 2009
Former finance minister Gerald Sendaula has said his quick instincts made him survive death on Thursday when a Rwandair plane bound for Entebbe rammed into the Kigali International Airport in Kanombe, a Kigali suburb.
One person of Rwandan nationality died at King Faisal Hospital in Kigali after sustaining serious injuries and several escaped with minor cuts. The accident happened around 12pm local time.
Narration
"When we were in the air, our plane was told to comeback and on landing it first stopped and almost immediately accelerated hitting the VIP lounge," Mr Sendaula told Saturday Monitor yesterday, adding: "On sensing danger, I unbuckled and thankfully the emergency doors were already open, so I got out and walked like a cat on one of its wings and run towards the terminal."
At that time, Mr Sendaula says, the gas had started leaking.
According to official information availed by the Rwanda Civil Aviation Authority, three Ugandans, three Rwandans, one Indian and another unidentified national survived death in the a 50-seater CRJ 100 series leased from Jet Link Express, a regional airline based in Nairobi.
Jobanputra Kishor, the chairman of Picfare, was the other identified Ugandan and by Thursday evening, he had been evacuated to South Africa after he complained of breathing difficulties.
A total of 15 people were on board, including five crew members. Mr Jack Elk, the acting Chief Executive Officer of Rwandair, told Saturday Monitor that what happened was out of the pilot's control.
"The pilot reported technical difficulties after the plane took off. He was cleared to land back and after the plane had landed, it once again took off with auto full power and accelerated. This was beyond the pilot's control," Mr Elk said.
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