Panic On Greek Ryanair Flight As Passenger Rescued From Broken Window

ATHENS, July 10 (NNN-dpa) -- Panic ensued on a Ryanair flight from the Greek city of Thessaloniki to Germany's Memmingen on Friday as a shattered window forced the plane to return to the airport of origin shortly after take-off.

A passenger told dpa that a loud bang was heard during the flight, after which a window pane shattered. The closest passenger was injured, with another eyewitness telling Greek broadcaster ERT that "his head and shoulders were sticking out of the broken window".

Other passengers were reportedly able to pull the man back inside. Videos shared on social media showed oxygen masks dropping in the cabin, while eyewitnesses reported passengers screaming.

The pilot aborted the flight to Memmingen, in southern Germany, and returned to Thessaloniki Airport. The return journey after the incident is said to have taken about 20 minutes.

The injured passenger, from Serbia, was taken by the emergency services to a hospital in Thessaloniki, Greek broadcaster ERT reported.

Ryanair and the relevant authorities have yet to issue an official statement on the incident. An investigation has been launched, ERT reported.

--NNN-dpa