Ryanair passenger shares horror after being ‘sucked through window’ – ‘Blood all over me’ | World | News
Half of 61-year-old Ljubiša Karović’s body was dragged outside the aircraft mid-air (Image: Facebook)
The traumatised passenger who was almost sucked out of a Ryanair plane after a mid-air explosion shattered his window has finally broken his silence, revealing his ongoing nightmare and admitting the harrowing ordeal has left him at “rock bottom”. Ljubiša Karović, 61, was travelling on a flight from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany – operated by Ryanair subsidiary Malta Air – when disaster struck thousands of feet in the air.
The Serbian national had fallen asleep when he was abruptly jolted awake by a deafening “bang like a bomb.” Seconds later, the acrylic window beside him dislodged, causing violent, explosive decompression. Recalling the horrific moments that followed, Mr Karović revealed he was left drenched in his own blood as half of his body was dragged outside the aircraft. “I had blood all over me, blood was dripping from my face and my hands,” he said. “Only for one moment was I conscious and I cannot remember the rest.”
Half of Ljubiša Karović’s body was dragged out of the aircraft, while his wife and other passengers clung to his legs (Image: -)
As cabin pressure plunged and oxygen masks dropped, Mr Karović’s head and upper body were forced through the open frame into freezing conditions. His wife, Svetlana Grković, immediately reacted to save his life, clinging to his legs until fellow passengers rushed to assist.
Ms Grković told Serbian-language outlet Nova: “I immediately reacted and grabbed his legs. I thought: ‘If we die, we die together.’ It was horrible.”
It took the heroic efforts of Svetlana and two other flyers to drag Mr Karović back inside the cabin. Eyewitnesses reported he passed out multiple times during the terrifying five-minute rescue due to shock and severe oxygen deprivation.
While Ms Grković initially revealed her husband was “not able to communicate” in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, Mr Karović has now recovered enough to share his side of the nightmare with German outlet Bild.
Mr Karović said he is not considering getting on a plane again (Image: Facebook)
While the Boeing 737-800 was forced to make a rapid emergency descent and land back in Thessaloniki, Mr Karović sustained severe physical and psychological injuries. He has been fitted with a neck brace for six weeks and suffered temporary paralysis down the right side of his body. He also sustained damage to his right ear and eye, along with painful friction burns on his back and hand.
Despite surviving, Mr Karović confessed that he has been left with serious mental scars: “Mentally I have hit rock bottom,” he admitted. “As soon as I close my eyes, images appear of the nightmare I experienced.
“I am not even contemplating getting another flight. Every time I hear an aeroplane, I get stress and a fever. It is a complete upheaval in my life.”
However, he added: “My head and neck still hurt, but I am still alive… I believe in God and I thank Him every day.”
Initial reports suggest a piece of debris from one of the aircraft’s engines smashed into the window (Image: Getty)
Initial reports suggest a piece of debris from one of the aircraft’s engines smashed into the passenger window shortly after takeoff.
Addressing investors, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary confirmed: “Initial indication would suggest it looks like a foreign object damage to the engine on takeoff at Thessaloniki, but we can’t say that definitively.”
The US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has launched a full investigation into the mechanical failure.
In an official statement, Ryanair confirmed that the aircraft returned safely to Thessaloniki after the incident, adding that passengers were transferred to a replacement plane and that one individual received immediate medical treatment on the ground.
