A Boeing 737 aircraft, operated by Air Senegal, veered off the runway and burst into flames during takeoff from Dakar’s Blaise Diagne airport in Senegal early Thursday morning. The incident led to a chaotic evacuation of the passengers from the burning plane.
The flight, which was en route to Bamako, Mali, had 78 passengers on board. Eleven of them sustained injuries, with four reported to be in critical condition. The dramatic scene was captured in videos that showed passengers scrambling to escape the burning aircraft.
The plane, a Boeing 737-300 model, was chartered from the Senegalese carrier Transair. The aircraft was seen with a significant hole in its left engine as emergency responders worked to put out the fire.
In addition to the passengers, there were two pilots and four cabin crew members on board. One of the pilots was among those injured in the incident, according to reports.
Operations at Blaise Diagne airport were temporarily suspended as investigators began their work to determine the cause of the crash. Air Senegal has yet to issue a public statement regarding the incident.
This incident in Dakar occurred just a day after another Boeing aircraft, a FedEx Airlines Boeing 763, experienced a landing gear malfunction and skidded on its nose down the runway at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
These incidents add to the growing list of problems for Boeing, which has been under intense public scrutiny following a series of mishaps. Earlier this year, a side door panel blew off an Alaska Airlines 737 Max mid-flight, leading to a criminal investigation into the manufacturer. The company has also faced criticism following the deaths of two former employees who had raised concerns about safety inspections at the company.