Held her husband so he wouldn't fall out of the plane: 'I grabbed him by the legs and thought, if we die, we die together'

A terrifying mid-flight emergency unfolded on a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen when a window shattered, nearly sucking a passenger out of the aircraft. Svetlana Grković recounted the harrowing experience to Nova.rs, describing how she desperately held onto her husband, Ljubiša Karović, as he was pulled towards the gaping hole.

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As the window broke, there was decompression in the cabin. The pressure pulled Ljubiša, luckily he was buckled up, but half his body was sticking out of the plane.

The incident occurred as the couple was returning from vacation. Grković explained that a sound, like a part of the engine hitting the window next to her husband, preceded the window's explosion. The resulting decompression violently pulled Karović, who was fortunately secured by his seatbelt, partially out of the plane. "As the window broke, there was decompression in the cabin. The pressure pulled Ljubiša, luckily he was buckled up, but half his body was sticking out of the plane," Grković said. "I reacted immediately and grabbed his legs. I thought: 'If we die, we die together.' It was awful."

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I reacted immediately and grabbed his legs. I thought: 'If we die, we die together.' It was awful.

Chaos erupted in the cabin as oxygen masks deployed. While some passengers panicked, others rushed to help. Grković specifically mentioned a man and a woman who assisted her in holding Karović's legs as the plane turned back to Thessaloniki. She expressed a strong desire to find and thank the man, whom she believes might have been Albanian, for his crucial help.

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Some people came to my aid, I remember one man and one woman. That man helped me and Ljubiša a lot. Together we held Ljubiša's legs, while the plane returned to the airport in Thessaloniki.

Upon landing, emergency services were waiting. Karović was rushed to a hospital in Thessaloniki, suffering from severe injuries and shock. His arm was badly hurt, and he sustained burns. Grković stated that her primary concern is his survival, noting that he is in shock and has difficulty remembering the event. Ryanair confirmed the incident, stating that a window detached in the cabin and the plane landed safely. An investigation into the cause of the window failure is ongoing.

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Ljubiša lost consciousness several times.