A Boeing 737-300 carrying 85 people skidded off the runway and caught fire at Senegal's main airport, near the capital of Dakar. Ten people were injured, including the pilot, according to the country's transport minister.
A Boeing 737-300 operated by Air Sénégal swerved off the runway and erupted into flames at Blaise Diagne International Airport on Wednesday night, plunging passengers into a state of panic as they desperately evacuated the burning aircraft.
Amidst screams and chaos, passengers scrambled to escape through emergency slides while flames consumed one side of the plane. Malian musician Cheick Siriman Sissoko, 39, who captured the ordeal on his phone, described the terrifying moments as he watched his life flash before his eyes.
"There was complete panic during the evacuation," said Ibrahim Diallo, 20, a Malian citizen on board the flight. "Smoke started coming from one of the wings."
The crash marks the third incident involving a Boeing airplane this week, raising concerns about the company's safety record. On Thursday, 190 passengers were evacuated from a Boeing 737 in Turkey after a tire burst during landing.
This latest incident has intensified scrutiny of Boeing, which has faced intense pressure since two crashes of Boeing 737 Max jets in 2018 and 2019 killed 346 people. In February, the Federal Aviation Administration gave Boeing 90 days to address safety concerns following a door plug blowout incident on an Alaska Airlines flight.
In April, a Boeing whistleblower alleged that the company had cut corners to speed up production of 787 jets, potentially compromising safety. The whistleblower's testimony has fueled demands for further investigation into Boeing's manufacturing practices.
The cause of the Senegal crash remains under investigation. The damaged aircraft, a Boeing 737-38J delivered in the 1990s, was photographed in a grassy field surrounded by fire retardant foam.
Airport operations at Blaise Diagne have resumed, but the crash has left an unsettling mark on passengers. Many expressed gratitude for surviving the ordeal while others voiced concerns about the safety of Boeing aircraft.
Relatives of passengers who died in the second 737 Max crash in 2019 are calling on the U.S. government to revive a criminal fraud charge against Boeing, alleging that the company violated terms of a 2021 settlement.
The Senegal crash highlights the ongoing challenges of aviation safety and the importance of maintaining strict standards and protocols to ensure the well-being of passengers.
