A Boeing 737 plane carrying 85 people skidded off the runway at the airport in Dakar, Senegal's capital, injuring 10 people, a statement from the country’s transport minister said on Thursday.
El Malick Ndiaye, the transport minister, said the Air Sénégal flight operated by TransAir was headed to Mali's capital, Bamako, late on Wednesday carrying 79 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew.
The injured were being treated in hospital, while the other survivors have been taken to a hotel to rest.
The plane went off the runway before take-off at Blaise Diagne International airport, AFP reports quoting an official statement.
Wing damaged
The Aviation Safety Network, which tracks airline accidents, published photos of the damaged plane in a grassy field surrounded by fire suppressant foam on X, formerly known as Twitter.
One engine appeared to have broken apart and a wing was also damaged, according to the photos.
ASN is part of the Flight Safety Foundation, a nonprofit group that aims to promote safe air travel and tracks accidents.
Airport closed
The airport at Diass, around 50 kilometres (30 miles) from Dakar, is closed for the moment and will reopen in the coming hours, LAS said.
The aircraft has been "immobilised" away from the runway and the emergency plan was triggered by airport authorities as soon as they were alerted, it said.
"All the airport emergency services have been mobilised for the evacuation of passengers and their care, as per the plan," the airport's managers LAS said in a statement.
An investigation has already been opened to establish the cause of the incident, it said.
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