A Boeing 737 plane carrying 85 people skidded off a runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal’s capital, injuring 10 people, and bringing the facility to a halt, the transport minister said on Thursday.
Transport Minister El Malick Ndiaye said the Air Sénégal flight operated by TransAir was headed to Bamako late on Wednesday with 79 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew.
The Blaise Diagne airport said an investigation was under way to determine the cause of the accident, which occurred at around midnight as the Transair-owned Boeing 737-300 chartered by Air Senegal was preparing to fly to Mali.
A nighttime video shared on social media showed a plane with the logo of Senegal-based airline Transair standing in grass with a wing covered in fire-suppressing foam.
Reuters was not immediately able to verify the video.
The airport statement said it activated emergency protocols to evacuate passengers.
“For now, the airport is closed … The reopening of the airport is expected within the next few hours,” it added.
The Aviation Safety Network, which tracks airline accidents, published photos of the damaged plane in a grassy field surrounded by fire suppressant foam on X, formerly known as Twitter. One engine appeared to have broken apart, and a wing was also damaged, according to the photos.
ASN is part of the Flight Safety Foundation, a non-profit group that aims to promote safe air travel and tracks accidents.
Additional reporting by Associated Press
