A passenger who was partially sucked out of the plane during a Ryanair flight earlier this month says he is "lucky" as he recounts the ordeal for the first time.
The incident happened on July 10 on a morning flight from the northern Greek city of Thessaloniki to Memmingen, near Munich. The flight was operated by Malta Air, a subsidiary of Ryanair, Europe’s largest budget carrier.
Ljubisa Karović, 61, suffered neck and shoulder injuries, and friction burns, according to a Greek hospital official when a window dislodged and he was partially sucked out of the plane due to cabin decompression.
His wife Svetlana Grković desperately held onto her husband's legs, reportedly telling him "if we die, we die together", according to the Guardian.
New photos show bruising across his shoulder and chest, with burns and bruises on his right arm, along his armpit and chest.
His Greek lawyer, Vasilis Tsiaras, said Karović was still recovering from both his physical injuries and the psychological trauma of the ordeal, telling the Guardian he was "alive by mistake".
In an interview with The Guardian, the Serbian entrepreneur had his head supported by a neck brace as he recalled the explosion and the noise.
"It’s the noise before the chaos, the noise that is always there when I close my eyes to sleep," he said.
“I am lucky," he said.
"I don’t remember much and my head and neck still hurt but I am still alive. It could have been the seatbelt, the fact that I was still strapped in. But maybe it is fate. I believe in God and I thank him every day," he told the Guardian.
A series of short videos recorded from inside the plane showed passengers wearing oxygen masks after the cabin lost pressure.
Another appeared to show the blown-out window.
The incident remained under investigation.
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