A Boeing 737 plane skids off the runway at Senegal’s main airport, leaving 10 injured

Passengers were left terrified after a Boeing 737 plane skidded off the runway at Senegal’s main airport, injuring 10 people.

Terrifying video footage shows travelers fleeing the burning plane with their suitcases, while others can be seen taking the emergency slide to safety as screams can be heard in the background.

In a Facebook post, Malian musician Cheick Siriman Sissoko wrote: “Our plane just caught fire,” while video shows flames engulfing the side of the plane.

Flights have been suspended at Blaise Diagne airport, near the capital, Dakar, after the plane crashed onto the grass before takeoff early Thursday morning, according to an airport spokesperson.

Other dramatic images on social media show the plane, displaying the logo of Senegal-based airline Transair, standing on the ground with fire extinguisher foam covering its wing.

Emergency services rushed to evacuate the passengers, four of whom were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

In a statement, Transport Minister El Hadji Malick Ndiaye said the flight was heading to Bamako late on Wednesday and was carrying 79 passengers, two pilots and four cabin crew.

The injured are currently being treated, while the other passengers have been taken to a hotel to rest.

Transair did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The airline is based at Blaise Diagne Airport and operates domestic flights and international routes within West Africa.

It comes just a day after a Boeing cargo plane belonging to the US mail service FedEx skidded on the runway in Istanbul after its front landing gear failed. Sparks were seen flying under the plane, although it did not catch fire.

The flight had taken off from Paris’ Charles de Gaulle airport when the pilot realized the error. Firefighters and rescue teams waited on the runway in Istanbul and immediately sprayed the plane with firefighting foam.

Boeing is already facing scrutiny after a series of mishaps, including a Lufthansa Airlines plane bouncing off the runway at Los Angeles Airport and a door panel ripped off a flight in January, leaving passengers exposed to a huge hole.

The US Federal Aviation Administration has opened an investigation into the company after workers at a South Carolina plant falsified inspection records.