A 61-year-old man from Serbia, who was partially sucked out the window of a Ryanair plane, has shared for the first time details of the terrifying incident that gave him the worst experience of his life during a trip from Greece to Germany.
Të lidhura
None found
His survival was made possible by his seatbelt and the quick reaction of other passengers, as authorities continue to investigate what caused this rare incident.
In an interview with the British newspaper The Guardian, businessman Ljubisa Karovic said that the moment that haunts him is the powerful bang that preceded the shattering of the plane window.
“What sticks in my memory is the explosion. It was the sound before everything turned into chaos, that noise that follows me every time I try to close my eyes to sleep,” he explained.
Karovic was sitting in seat 11F, right by the window, when cabin pressure suddenly dropped and his body was forcefully sucked out while the plane was cruising at an altitude of about 15,000 feet and a speed exceeding 600 kilometers per hour. He lost consciousness and suffered injuries to his head, neck, arm, and chest, but fortunately managed to survive.
“I am very lucky. I still have headaches and neck pain, but I am alive. Maybe it was the seatbelt that saved me, or perhaps fate. I believe in God and I thank Him for every day that passes,” he said.
His wife, Svetlana Karovic, recounted that those present in the cabin immediately reacted to hold on to him, while she singled out a passenger, whom she believes was of Albanian origin, as the person who played the biggest role in his rescue, helping to pull him back inside the plane and plugging the window hole with hand luggage.
“A man, who I think was Albanian, did an extraordinary job. He was fully committed to bringing him back inside. We will remain forever grateful to him,” she said.
Karovic’s legal representative, Vasilis Tsiaras, claimed that the crucial help came from the passengers and not from the flight attendants, accusing the latter of being paralyzed by shock throughout the incident.
For its part, Ryanair denied these claims, emphasizing that the crew followed all safety procedures during the emergency landing. According to the airline, once the plane reached a safe altitude, the employees assisted the injured passenger, placed him next to his wife, and provided medical care until landing in Thessaloniki.
Karovic, who was discharged from hospital just a few days ago, acknowledges that his recovery process will take time and that doctors have recommended he wear a neck brace for at least six weeks. He does not hide the fact that this experience has left him with a deep fear of flying.
