The Gambian national team is reportedly to have narrowly averted a disaster while on board a flight to Ivory Coast for the AFCON 2023 tournament.
The players and coaching staff were on flight from the capital City of Banjul heading for the AFCON Tournament in Ivory Coast when several players passed out shortly after boarding the plane after the supply of cabin oxygen failed.
Former Manchester United right-back, Saidy Janko who was among the Gambia players reported the situation on his instagram page.
According to Janko, the team noticed “immense heat” after the boarded the airplane but they were assured that the temperature would get better once they take off into the sky.
But he lamented that the condition worsen saying “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/takeoff. Whilst in the Air, the situation got worse, leaving the pilot with no other option, than initiating an emergency landing back in Banjul airport nine minutes after takeoff. Which happened successfully.”
“If it wasn’t for this, the consequences could have been a lot worse !!….. knowing what could have happened, if we would have been exposed to the situation for any longer – in an airplane, running out of oxygen..,” Janko added.
Find Janko’s Instagram post below
