In a terrifying scene aboard a Ryanair aircraft, a passenger narrowly escaped death after being partially sucked out of a window that suddenly detached shortly after the plane took off from Greece bound for Germany on Friday, only to be saved by the swift intervention of fellow passengers who pulled him forcefully back into the cabin.
A Greek hospital official, who asked not to be named, said the 61-year-old passenger was treated for injuries to his neck and shoulder, as well as friction burns.
The aircraft had departed from the Greek city of Thessaloniki to Memmingen, near Munich in Germany, and was operated by Malta Air, one of Ryanair's subsidiary carriers. Ryanair said the plane "returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off following the detachment of one of its windows during flight."
The airline added in a statement that the aircraft landed normally, passengers returned to the terminal, one passenger received medical attention upon arrival in Thessaloniki, and a replacement aircraft was provided to carry passengers to their destination in Germany.
Passengers described what happened to Greek media, saying they heard a loud bang followed by oxygen masks dropping, and the plane began to lose altitude.
A passenger named Christina told Thessaloniki Radio that passengers panicked and began screaming, and that one passenger was partially sucked out of the window. She added: "His entire head, neck and shoulders were outside the window," noting that passengers seated near him managed to pull him back inside.
Christina continued: "Most passengers were asleep and we had our eyes closed. But we heard a sound like a tyre bursting, except it was very loud. We immediately knew we had lost pressure because we started losing altitude. There was screaming and wailing."