An incident involving a Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people occurred at Senegal's main airport near Dakar. The aircraft caught fire and skidded off the runway, resulting in ten injuries, including the pilot. The Air Sénégal flight operated by TransAir was en route to Bamako, Mali, with 79 passengers, two pilots, and four cabin crew when the crash happened.
Passengers described scenes of panic as they evacuated the burning aircraft at Blaise Diagne International Airport. Some passengers recounted jumping down emergency slides amidst flames engulfing one side of the plane. The cause of the fire and subsequent skid off the runway remains unclear.
Passengers were taken to a hotel for rest, while the injured received treatment at a hospital. The incident marks the third involving a Boeing airplane this week, raising concerns about the company's safety standards. Boeing has faced scrutiny following previous incidents, including the crashes of Boeing 737 Max jets in 2018 and 2019.
Boeing has been under pressure to address quality issues and safety concerns in its aircraft manufacturing. The recent incident in Senegal involved a Boeing 737-38J aircraft delivered in the 1990s. Photos of the damaged plane show one engine broken apart and damage to a wing, surrounded by fire suppressant foam in a grassy field.
The Aviation Safety Network is monitoring the situation, and investigations into the cause of the crash are ongoing. Passengers and crew members involved in the incident are recovering from the shock, with flights between Dakar and Bamako being rescheduled to a later date.
