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Passenger hospitalized after near-ejection from Ryanair flight due to broken window
๐Ÿ‡ต๐Ÿ‡พ Paraguay /Health & Science

Passenger hospitalized after near-ejection from Ryanair flight due to broken window

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News From a news agency Outcome reported
  • A passenger on a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen suffered severe injuries after a window broke mid-flight.
  • The incident caused a sudden decompression, and the passenger was partially ejected from the plane before being pulled back in by others.
  • The flight returned safely to Thessaloniki, and the injured passenger is hospitalized but in stable condition.

A 61-year-old Serbian passenger remains hospitalized in Thessaloniki after a terrifying incident on a Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany. A window shattered during the flight, causing a sudden decompression and nearly ejecting the passenger from the plane.

The passenger sustained head injuries and burns from the friction against the broken window's edges. He was reportedly in shock when transported to the hospital but is now reported to be out of danger. The incident occurred on a flight traveling from Thessaloniki to Memmingen, Germany.

Witnesses described moments of panic aboard the aircraft. The passenger, seated next to the damaged window, had half his body outside the plane before his wife and other travelers managed to pull him back inside. The seatbelt is credited with preventing him from being fully expelled.

We had been flying for about 30 or 40 minutes when the window suddenly exploded. My husband was sitting next to it, and half his body ended up outside the plane.

โ€” Wife of the injured passengerDescribing the moment the window broke and her husband was partially ejected.

"We had been flying for about 30 or 40 minutes when the window suddenly exploded. My husband was sitting next to it, and half his body ended up outside the plane," the passenger's wife told Greek channel Mega. Another passenger recounted the fear, stating, "We thought we were going to crash, we were wearing oxygen masks, and we didn't know if we would survive."

The flight crew successfully returned to Thessaloniki Airport and landed safely about an hour after takeoff. The cause of the window failure is believed to be related to a malfunction in the right engine shortly after takeoff, with fragments potentially impacting the fuselage and breaking the window.

We thought we were going to crash, we were wearing oxygen masks, and we didn't know if we would survive.

โ€” A passengerRecounting the fear and uncertainty during the emergency landing.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.