Plane Skids Off Runway in Senegal, Injuring at Least 10
DAKAR — Chaos ensued at Dakar’s Blaise Diagne airport as a Boeing 737-300 aircraft veered off the runway, resulting in injuries to at least 10 people, with four of them sustaining serious injuries.
The harrowing incident unfolded during the early hours of Thursday as Air Senegal flight HC 301 was preparing to depart for the Malian capital of Bamako.
Despite the pilot suffering minor injuries, the majority of the 78 passengers onboard emerged unscathed from the ordeal.
Operations at the airport came to an abrupt halt following the mishap, but have since resumed after a brief suspension.
Swiftly mobilized emergency services sprang into action at the airport to facilitate the safe evacuation of passengers, as detailed in the airport’s official statement.
An investigation is currently underway to ascertain the root causes of the incident, which transpired around 0100 GMT.
Both Boeing and Transair, the private company that chartered the plane for Air Senegal, have refrained from issuing any comments regarding the crash.
While the exact trigger for the crash remains unknown, it adds to the mounting woes faced by the manufacturer amidst a growing safety crisis.
Earlier this year, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max experienced a frightening episode when an unused door blew out shortly after take-off in the US, prompting a criminal inquiry.
Against this backdrop, the Senegal crash coincides with revelations from a former quality inspector at Spirit AeroSystems, Boeing’s primary supplier, who alleged that planes frequently left the factory with severe defects.
Spirit AeroSystems vehemently refuted these claims, stating that they “strongly disagreed” with the accusations. — BBC
