SKOPJE, July 12 (BV) – A 61-year-old Serbian passenger who was seriously injured after a cabin window failed on a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen repeatedly lost consciousness and suffered heavy bleeding during the incident, Britain’s Daily Express reported, citing new details about the accident.
The passenger, identified as Ljubiša Karović, was travelling with his wife when the incident occurred shortly after take-off.
According to the report, fragments from the aircraft’s damaged right engine struck a cabin window, causing it to fail. The resulting rapid decompression partially pulled Karović out of the aircraft while it was flying at around 20,000 feet.
His wife, Svetlana Grković, managed to hold onto his legs until other passengers rushed to help pull him back into the cabin.
Witnesses said the flight crew repeatedly declared an emergency while oxygen masks were automatically deployed throughout the cabin.
Passengers told media that Karović was bleeding heavily and lost consciousness several times because of shock and the effects of rapid decompression.
Ryanair said the aircraft landed safely back at Thessaloniki Airport, where one passenger received immediate medical treatment. The airline later arranged a replacement aircraft to transport the remaining passengers to Memmingen.
According to earlier reports, the incident occurred while the aircraft was flying over North Macedonian airspace. Under international aviation procedures, North Macedonia’s aviation authorities are leading the safety investigation into the causes of the incident.
Investigators are expected to determine whether engine damage caused the window failure and whether any technical or maintenance issues contributed to the emergency.