The Boeing 737-300 carrying 78 passengers suffered serious damage when a failed takeoff attempt sent it careening off the tarmac and into the bush at Blaise Diagne airport in Senegal.
What Happened?
The jet skidded off the runway and caught fire near the capital city Dakar Thursday morning as horrified passengers scramble to escape.
It is the latest disaster for plane maker a day after FedEx 767 landed without nose gear.
Run, Run, Run
A clip taken by one of the passengers showed a female customer sprinting away from the scene of the wreckage as flames poured from the 737’s left engine, lighting up the night sky.
More images later showed the plane nestled in the dirt with a gaping hole in the left engine that was covered in firefighting foam in the aftermath of the blaze.
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Emergency crews rushed to evacuate the passengers, eleven of whom were injured, four seriously so – though no deaths have been reported – as flights from the airport were suspended.
Authorities are now trying to establish the cause of the incident that comes just one day after another Boeing aircraft – a 767 cargo plane operated by American postal service FedEx – performed an emergency landing in Turkey after its landing gear failed.
What Will Happen Now?
The crashes will only compound woes for the company which is already facing intense scrutiny amid a string of mishaps and controversy over safety concerns – not to mention the deaths of two whistleblowers just two months apart.
