Eleven passengers were hurt, four of them badly, when a Boeing passenger aircraft veered off the runway after takeoff at Dakar International Airport early Thursday, May 9, according to its operator.
According to LAS, the Air Senegal aircraft was destined for the Malian capital, Bamako, and had 78 people.
Images shot at night and released by local media and social networks showed the jet in an overgrown area, with first responders encircling a wounded individual. Smoke and flames are also evident near the plane.
LAS stated that the Boeing 737/300 was hired from Transair, a privately owned airline.
The jet “came off the runway during its takeoff phase” around 1:00 am (0100 GMT), it said.
There were eleven injuries, four of which were critical. Six additional passengers were escorted inside the airport for medical checks.
According to a separate statement from the transport ministry, two pilots and four cabin personnel were on board.
It reported somewhat different figures, stating there were 79 passengers and 10 wounded, including a pilot.
According to its operator, Blaise Diagne Airport in Diass, 50 kilometers (30 miles) from Senegal’s capital Dakar, reopened just after lunchtime.
“We inform you that Blaise Diagne international airport has reopened,” said LAS, made up of Turkish group Limak, the publicly-owned airport operator AIBD and another Turkish entity, Summa.
“Airport operations have resumed as normal.”
The transport ministry stated that the Bureau of Investigation and Analysis has begun an investigation to ascertain the cause of the accident.
Boeing, a US manufacturer, is also dealing with issues, including safety concerns following two 737 MAX disasters in five months and another scare involving the aircraft over Alaska in January.
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The incident in Senegal occurred a day after a Boeing 767 FedEx cargo jet touched down at Istanbul airport without its front landing gear, which failed to open, causing no injuries, according to the US Federal Aviation Administration.
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