Tourists reassured of safety

THE government has assured visitors that the situation is under control and that security is high after the incident on Monday, in which bandits robbed several tourists of their belongings at Masanja Hill in Ngorongoro Conservation Area

DAILY NEWS Reporter

THE government has assured visitors that the situation is under control and that security is high after the incident on Monday, in which bandits robbed several tourists of their belongings at Masanja Hill in Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

According to a press release issued through the Tanzania Information Services, Maelezo, in Dar es Salaam yesterday, all visitors to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Loliondo Game Controlled Area, Serengeti National Park should feel safe and secure as maximum security is assured.

Bandits believed to have entered into the country illegally from a neighbouring country, ambushed a vehicle ferrying about five tourists and a cook to Serengeti National Park. They ordered the tourists and their driver to lie down before robbing their belongings, including money, bank documents, passports, cell phones and cameras.

The vehicle had been left near a bush to enable the tourists to have a snack and straighten up after a long journey. However, the cook managed to crawl unseen to the main road where he communicated the incident to the Ngorongoro Area Conservation Authority (NCAA).

The NCAA quickly responded and dispatched rangers, who arrived at the scene within 25 minutes. With the help of policemen from Arusha and within the area, a manhunt was immediately launched.

The surveillance team managed to recover all the passports, four credit cards, a binocular and other documents, which were handed back to the victims the following day.

NCAA, district and regional authorities and the Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa) have intensified security in the area and its surroundings, as intensive patrols are under way to net the culprits.

Source: Daily News