Boeing plane exits runway in Senegal, injuring 11

ABoeing passenger plane veered off the runway during takeoff from Dakar international airport early yesterday, injuring 11 people and shutting the hub for almost 12 hours, its operator said.

The Air Senegal flight was bound for Malian capital Bamako and had 78 passengers on-board, airport management company, LAS, said in a statement.

Images published by local media and on social networks showed the plane in an overgrown area with first aiders surrounding an injured person. Smoke and flames were also visible near the aircraft.

The Boeing 737/300 had been chartered from privately owned Transair, LAS said. The jet “came off the runway during its take-off phase” around 1am, it said.

Eleven people were injured, four seriously. Six other passengers were taken for medical check-ups inside the airport.

The transport ministry said in a separate statement that two pilots and four cabin crew were on-board.

Operations resume

Blaise Diagne airport at Diass, 50km from the Senegalese capital of Dakar, reopened shortly after midday, its operator later announced.

The aircraft was “immobilised” away from the runway and an emergency plan triggered by airport authorities as soon as they were alerted, the group said.

“All the airport emergency services have been mobilised for the evacuation of passengers and their care, as per the plan,” LAS went on.

The transport ministry said the Bureau of Investigation and Analysis had opened an inquiry to determine the cause of the accident.

Yesterday’s incident comes a day after a Boeing 767 FedEx cargo plane touched down at Istanbul airport without its front landing gear which failed to open, though nobody was hurt, the US Federal Aviation Administration said.