Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport. Ten people are injured

A Boeing 737-300 plane carrying 85 people caught fire and skidded off a runway at Senegal’s main airport, near the capital of Dakar. Ten people were injured in the crash, including the pilot, the country’s transport minister said Thursday. Passengers were evacuated from the burning aircraft at Blaise Diagne International airport and some described “complete panic” as they scrambled for their lives. The Air Sénégal flight operated by TransAir was headed to Bamako, in neighboring Mali, late on Wednesday with 79 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew, when the crash happened. The airport is located about 50 km from Dakar. It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the plane to catch fire and skid off the runway. The injured were being treated at a hospital, while the others were taken to a hotel to rest, the minister added. Passengers jumped down the emergency slides at night while flames engulfed one side of the aircraft and screams were heard all around, recounted Malian musician Cheick Siriman Sissoko, who filmed the passengers’ ordeal on his phone camera. Boeing referred all request for comment to the airlines. “Carriers operate and maintain their airplanes for upwards of 30 to 40 years,” a statement said. “We refer you to each operator for questions related to their fleet operations. We will provide any requested support to our customer.”<br/>