Passengers on board a Ryanair flight who were told to evacuate after a fire alert have claimed the crew said they had to leave the aircraft “in case there is a fire and the plane explodes”. Panic erupted on a flight from Palma in Majorca to Manchester on Friday night as passengers left the plane, with some saying they were “jumping for their lives” from the wings of the airliner.
It’s reported 18 people were injured and at least two Brits suffered broken bones and six people were hospitalised. A statement from Ryanair “sincerely apologised” for the incident, but added that “while disembarking, a small number of passengers encountered very minor injuries”. Ryanair said there was found to be no fire on board the aircraft.
But Danielle Kelly, 56, from Bury, Greater Manchester, who was sat in row 18 with her daughter, Frankie, 26, claimed it was “utter chaos” and she her right leg and left arm are now in plaster. She said: “I saw a member of the cabin crew run from the back to the front of the plane, he was on the phone and suddenly started shouting, ‘everyone get off the aircraft now, everyone evacuate’.
Speaking to the Mail Online from a hospital bed in Palma, she added: “It was utter chaos, passengers were screaming, ‘open the doors, open the doors’. It was terrifying, I thought there was a terrorist on board, so I grabbed my daughter and got out.
“There was no announcement from the pilot or any of the other cabin crew. The door nearest to us opened and everyone ran onto the wing and started jumping off.
“I’m 56-years-old, I didn’t want to jump but I feared for my life. It felt like a life or death situation. I knew as soon as I landed that I was seriously injured.
“It was terrifying, we’ve been left completely traumatised by the experience. I’ve got my foot and arm in plaster and I’ve got to have three different surgeries to pin my foot, wrist and elbow tomorrow, I’m in a mess.”
Fellow passenger Francine Elkinson, 57, who was travelling with Ms Kelly and her own daughter Savannah, 26, said she suffered a break to her right foot and had a three-hour operation on Sunday where surgeons inserted pins and plates into her appendage.
Ms Elkinson said: “People were screaming, ‘get off the plane now,’ there was no organisation, everyone was scrambling and screaming, it was complete chaos. There was no guidance about what to do from the captain or the crew.
“I was petrified, my daughter went first and was standing on the tarmac telling me to jump and she would catch me. I hit the floor and my foot blew up, I thought I had snapped it. I couldn’t walk and my daughter had to drag me away.”
The Mail Online reports another passenger claimed cabin crew used the Tannoy telling everyone to “leave your bags, the plane could explode”, adding that the statement “obviously just made everyone panic”.
The woman, who did not wish to be named, said: “I’m usually a rational thinking person. No one wants to throw themselves off the wing of a plane unless the alternative is worse, everyone was led to believe it was an emergency and they had to get out immediately.”
It’s understood at least one female cabin crew member is thought to have been among the injured from the flight.
A Ryanair spokesman told Express.co.uk: “This flight from Palma to Manchester (July 4) discontinued take-off due to a false fire warning light indication. Passengers were disembarked using the inflatable slides and returned to the terminal.
“While disembarking, a small number of passengers encountered very minor injuries (ankle sprains, etc.) and crew requested immediate medical assistance.
“To minimise disruption to passengers, we quickly arranged a replacement aircraft to operate this flight, which departed Palma at 07:05 the following morning (July 5).
“We sincerely apologise to affected passengers for any inconvenience caused.”
