Senegal’s transport minister announced Thursday that a Boeing 737 carrying 85 people caught fire and veered off the runway at the country’s main airport.
Of the ten injured, including the pilot, passengers were evacuated from the burning plane. Some recounted scenes of “total panic” as they searched for safety.
The Air Senegal flight, operated by Transair, was en route to Bamako, Mali, late on Wednesday, carrying 79 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew when the accident occurred at Blaise Diani International Airport, about 50 kilometers away. (31 miles) from Dakar. .
It remains unclear why the Boeing 737-300 caught fire and skidded off the runway. According to the minister, the injured received treatment in a hospital, while the others were transferred to a hotel to rest.
Passenger feedback
Malian musician Cheikh Sirimane Sissoko, who recorded the passengers’ harrowing experience on his phone, described how they jumped down emergency chutes into flames sweeping up one side of the plane, with screams echoing around them.
“My life passed before my eyes,” Sissoko, 39, recounted from the hotel where the passengers were recovering. “I thought about my mother, my wife and my children.”
He added: “Only one slide was opened from one side, which caused a state of complete panic during the evacuation process.”
Ibrahim Diallo, a 20-year-old Malian citizen who was on board, revealed that the plane had previously attempted to take off that night but encountered difficulties.
“The pilot assured us that everything is under control and we will try to take off again,” Diallo said. “But smoke came out of one of the wings during the second attempt.”
Air Senegal issued a statement on social media platform X, announcing the rescheduling of flights between Dakar and Bamako.
This is the third accident involving a Boeing plane this week. On the same day, the Turkish Ministry of Transport also reported that 190 people were safely evacuated from a plane in Turkey after a tire exploded while landing at a southern airport.
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