The 737 skidded off the runway at Blaise Diani Airport at around 1 a.m. Thursday.
LONDON – A Boeing 737-300 plane crashed while taking off from Blaise Diani International Airport in Senegal, local officials said.
Senegal’s Ministry of Infrastructure, Land and Air Transport said in a statement in French that Air Senegal flight HC301, operated by Transair, “overshot the runway” at around 1:14 a.m. Thursday.
The ministry said that the plane was carrying 78 people, including two pilots and four crew members.
The Senegalese army said 11 people were injured, including four in serious condition.
Videos circulating online showed a Transair plane with serial number 6V-AJE lying on a grassy bank. The plane’s left engine appears to be damaged and the brush near the runway appears to be covered in a layer of water-based foam.
Blaise Diagne is the main airport serving Dakar, the Senegalese capital. The battle was headed to Bamako, Mali.
The airport was closed for several hours following the accident.
ABC News’ Joe Simonetti contributed to this report.
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