Plane flying Gambia’s soccer team makes emergency landing

Sunday, January 14, 2024

A plane which was flying Gambia’s soccer team from the capital Banjul to the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) made an emergency landing.

The incident happened just 20 minutes after takeoff due to oxygen supply issues.

The flight had a dangerously low oxygen supply which could have caused a fatal accident.

The players, bound for the Ivory Coast, passed out and fell and fell asleep after the sudden lack of oxygen.

This situation forced the pilot to make an emergency landing averting a major aviation disaster.

Saidy Janko, a former Manchester United player and current member of the Gambia team, described how the “lack of oxygen affected the players.

“As soon as we entered the small plane that was hired to fly us, we noticed the immense heat that left us dripping in sweat,” he wrote on Instagram.

“The inhumane heat, mixed with the occurring lack of oxygen, left many people with strong headaches and extreme dizziness.

Furthermore, people started falling deeply asleep minutes after entering the aircraft and after takeoff,” Janko added.

According to Janko, the situation worsened while the flight was mid-air, leaving the pilot with no other option but to make an emergency landing.

He said the plane landed at Banjul after just nine minutes of take off.

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