Police in Germany have said 33 passengers were hospitalised after a Ryanair flight from Dublin to Croatia was forced to make an emergency landing in Frankfurt.
A spokesperson for the Frankfurt Federal police told German news website Spiegel Online that passengers complained of headache and earache and suffered from nausea.
The flight diverted to Frankfurt Hahn Airport just after 11pm last night.
Facebook user Miomir Todorovic posted a picture of the planes oxygen masked released in the cabin.
He said passengers complained of ear pain following the ordeal with some bleeding from the ears.
Mr Todorovic said the plane decompressed at an altitude of around 11000 meters and passengers heard a “loud bang.”
He said the plane rapidly descended to 2800 metres in around five minutes.
He said there was some panic on the plane, but “in the end everyone remained calm.” He noted that the Ryanair pilots “did an excellent job.”
LIVE: Ryanair #FR7312 Dublin to Zadar (Boeing 737-800 EI-ENM) briefly squawked 7700 General Emergency and is now diverting to Frankfurt/Hahn. Reason not yet known. https://t.co/6ictqQ8ccB pic.twitter.com/q30YQHi39k
— Airport Webcams (@AirportWebcams) July 13, 2018
Passengers were met by ambulances and taken to a nearby hospital.
"In-flight depressurisation"
In a statement Ryanair said the plane diverted “due to an in-flight depressurisation.”
“In line with standard procedure, the crew deployed oxygen masks and initiated a controlled descent,” reads the statement.
“The aircraft landed normally and customers disembarked, where a small number received medical attention as a precaution.”
Ryanair said hotel accommodation was “authorised” but there was “a shortage of available accommodation” in the area.
Passengers who are fit to travel will be accommodated on another flight to Zadar later this morning.
Ryanair has “sincerely apologised” for any inconvenience.
Been on a lot of flights in my time but never experienced emergency landing with oxygen masks and the works on flight to our holiday destination in Croatia. Flight path below - Frankfurt for now - not the start we planned but could be worse. #FR7312 #ryanairzadar pic.twitter.com/3Oe4pD6DDd
— ruth cosgrove (@cosruth) July 13, 2018
