DAKAR: A Boeing 737-300 aircraft veered off the runway in Senegal, injuring at least 10 people, with four of them sustaining serious injuries.
The incident took place as Air Senegal flight HC 301 was departing for the Malian capital of Bamako during the early hours of Thursday, according to a statement from Dakar’s Blaise Diagne airport.
While the pilot suffered minor injuries, the majority of the 78 passengers onboard escaped unharmed. Operations at the airport were temporarily suspended but have since resumed, with emergency services mobilized for passenger evacuation.
An investigation has been initiated to ascertain the causes of the incident, which occurred around 0100 GMT. Neither Boeing nor Transair, the private company from which Air Senegal chartered the aircraft, have issued statements regarding the incident.
Although the cause of the crash remains unknown, it coincides with heightened scrutiny of Boeing’s safety record. Earlier, an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max experienced an incident where an unused door blew out shortly after take-off, leading to a criminal investigation into Boeing.
The Senegal crash follows revelations from a former quality inspector at Boeing’s major supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, who alleged that plane bodies routinely left the factory with serious defects. Spirit AeroSystems has strongly denied these allegations.
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