A Boeing 737-300 aircraft has been reported to have crashed during takeoff at Senegal’s Blaise Diagne International Airport, according to local officials.
Air Senegal flight HC301, operated by Transair, experienced an incident where it “overran the runway” at approximately 1:14 a.m. on Thursday, as stated by Senegal’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Land and Air Transport in a French statement.
According to the ministry, there were a total of 78 individuals on board the aircraft, which included two pilots and four cabin crew members.
According to the Senegalese military, a total of eleven individuals were injured in the incident, with four of them being in critical condition.
Online videos have surfaced showing a Transair plane, identified by its serial number 6V-AJE, resting on a grassy bank. Notably, the left engine of the aircraft appears to have sustained damage, and the brush surrounding the runway seems to be coated with Aqueous Film Forming Foam.
Blaise Diagne serves as the primary airport for Dakar, the capital of Senegal. The flight was originally scheduled to go to Bamako, Mali.
The accident caused the airport to shut down for several hours.
