Wife saves husband after he is nearly sucked from Ryanair jet at 20,000ft

Wife refused to let go of her husband legs after he was partially sucked through a shattered aircraft window saying: "If we die, we die together."

A Serbian woman has described the terrifying moments she refused to let go of her husband after he was partially sucked through a shattered aircraft window during a Ryanair flight, saying: "If we die, we die together."

The dramatic incident unfolded aboard a Boeing 737-800 travelling from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, when part of the aircraft's engine reportedly failed shortly after take-off, smashing a passenger window and triggering a mid-air emergency.

Passenger pulled through shattered window

Ljubiša Karović was seated next to the window when debris is believed to have struck the aircraft, causing the window to fail.

The sudden loss of cabin pressure partially pulled him out of the aircraft, leaving his head and shoulders outside the fuselage as the jet climbed to around 20,000 feet.

His wife, Svetlana Grković, immediately grabbed his legs and refused to let go.

"It was as if part of the engine broke off and hit the window next to which my husband was sitting," she recalled.

"I reacted immediately and grabbed his legs. I thought, 'If we die, we die together.' It was horrible."

Fellow passengers joined the rescue

As oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling, passengers rushed to help pull Mr Karović back into the cabin.

Mrs Grković said one man and one woman played a crucial role in saving her husband's life.

"That man helped me a lot—he helped both Ljubiša and me," she said, adding that she hopes to thank him personally.

Witnesses said Mr Karović remained trapped for around five minutes before passengers finally managed to haul him back inside.

One passenger said his seat belt almost certainly saved his life.

Flight returns safely

The Ryanair aircraft immediately abandoned the flight and returned to Thessaloniki, landing safely just over an hour after take-off.

Video recorded by a cabin crew member appeared to show extensive engine damage, including a missing fan blade, a hole in the engine casing and the shattered passenger window.

Several passengers described hearing a deafening explosion before believing the aircraft was falling from the sky.

"We were wearing oxygen masks and didn't know if we were going to make it," one traveller said.

Husband remains in hospital

Mr Karović suffered serious injuries, including burns, hand injuries, head wounds and severe shock.

His wife said he lost consciousness several times during the ordeal and currently remembers little of what happened. Doctors have reportedly been unable to allow him to speak because of his injuries.

A pregnant passenger was also taken to hospital as a precaution but was later discharged in good health.

Ryanair confirms emergency

Ryanair confirmed the flight returned to Thessaloniki after a passenger window became dislodged shortly after take-off.

The airline said the aircraft landed normally and medical assistance was provided to the injured passenger before a replacement aircraft was arranged to fly the remaining passengers to Germany.

Greek hospital officials described the incident as one that "almost became a tragedy," with investigators expected to examine both the engine failure and the circumstances that led to the apparent window failure.

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