Credited from: CBSNEWS
A passenger was nearly sucked out of a Ryanair flight when a window detached during mid-air, resulting in a dramatic emergency situation. Witnesses reported the event occurred shortly after takeoff from Thessaloniki, Greece, bound for Memmingen, Germany. Authorities confirmed that the injured passenger, a 61-year-old tourist from Serbia, was hospitalized with friction burns but was in stable condition, according to SCMP and India Times.
Witnesses described hearing a loud bang akin to a bursting tire, followed by cabin decompression and the activation of oxygen masks. "Most of us had fallen asleep," said a fellow passenger, recounting the terrifying moment that led to the detachment of the window, as reported by BBC and CBS News.
After the window broke, the passenger's head and shoulders were left hanging outside the aircraft until other passengers swiftly helped pull him back inside. Ryanair's statement confirmed the flight's return to Thessaloniki and the provision of a replacement aircraft to continue to Germany, according to India Times and Le Monde.
The incident is believed to have occurred over North Macedonia, and ongoing investigations are looking into the cause, which might involve debris from one of the aircraft's engines impacting the window. Both the US Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing are assisting in the inquiry, according to Los Angeles Times and SCMP.