A jet that was carrying 85 people went off the runway at Dakar’s airport in Senegal’s capital, wounding 10 people, according to the transport minister, while a passenger’s camera showed the plane on fire.
Musician Cheick Siriman Sissoko of Mali shared the horrific event on Facebook, writing, “Our plane just caught fire,” and including a video of passengers escaping the plane via emergency slides as flames engulfed one side. With cries echoing in the background, the frantic footage conveyed the seriousness of the situation.
El Malick Ndiaye, Senegal’s minister of transport, announced late Wednesday that a flight operated by TransAir, carrying 79 people, two pilots, and four cabin crew members, was in route to Bamako, Mali.
A hospital attended to the wounded, while the remainder of the passengers were taken to a hotel to relax.
Additional information on the incident could not be retrieved at this time. Requests for comment were not responded to by Boeing.
Images of the wrecked airliner encircled by firefighting foam were uploaded on social media by the Aviation Safety Network (ASN), which is in charge of monitoring airline accidents. According to the images, one wing was damaged and one engine had visible cracks.
An independent foundation with the mission of enhancing aviation safety and keeping tabs on aircraft incidents, the Flight Safety Foundation is the umbrella under which ASN functions.
