Boeing 737 catches fire and skids off the runway at a Senegal airport ... Injuring 10

Boeing 737-300

A Boeing 737-300 aircraft has skidded off a runway in Senegal, injuring at least 10 people, four of them seriously.

The incident occurred as Air Senegal flight HC 301 was taking off for the Malian capital Bamako in the early hours of Thursday, Dakar's Blaise Diagne airport said in a statement.

The pilot was slightly injured, but most of the 78 passengers on board were not hurt in the incident.

Operations were halted at the airport for a few hours but have now resumed.

Emergency services at the airport were mobilised to evacuate passengers, the airport's statement said.

An inquiry is under way to determine the causes of the incident, which took place at around 0100 GMT.

Boeing has not commented on the incident, nor has Transair, the private company from which Air Senegal chartered the plane.

Though it is not yet known what caused the crash, it comes as the manufacturer faces a deepening crisis over its safety record.