“HALF OF MY BODY WAS OUTSIDE THE PLANE”: Serbian Passenger on Ryanair Flight Speaks for the First Time About His Fight for Survival at 4,500 Meters!

Eleven days after the accident aboard a Ryanair flight, Serbian businessman Ljubiša Karović has spoken publicly for the first time about the moments when he was nearly sucked out of the aircraft after a window shattered. In an interview with Britain’s The Guardian, he described what he remembers from the dramatic ordeal, while his wife and lawyer shared details about his rescue and recovery.

Serbian businessman Ljubiša Karović, who survived the Ryanair flight incident in which he was nearly pulled out of the aircraft after a window shattered mid-flight, says that even 11 days later he cannot stop hearing the sound of the explosion that preceded the terrifying moments.

“The explosion is what I remember. It’s the sound I hear every time I close my eyes to fall asleep,” Karović told The Guardian.

Wearing a neck brace and with visible injuries to his right arm, chest, and armpit, the 61-year-old says he is still in pain but realizes how fortunate he was to survive.

“I don’t remember much. My head and neck still hurt, but I’m alive. Maybe the seat belt saved me because I was buckled in. Maybe it was fate. I believe in God, and I thank Him every day,” Karović said.

😱 Horrifying! A passenger was partially sucked through a shattered plane window at an altitude of 6,000 metres

Shortly after a Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Germany took off, a fragment broke off the engine and smashed a window.

The 61-year-old man began to be pulled… pic.twitter.com/cax9KP96pY
— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) July 10, 2026

He was discharged from the hospital a few days ago, and his lawyer in Greece, Vasilis Tsiaras, described the case as nothing short of miraculous.

“Ljubiša was a step away from death. When the cabin lost pressure, the upper half of his body was pulled through the window, and he immediately lost consciousness. He was traveling to Germany to celebrate his brother’s birthday, but instead found himself at an altitude of about 4,500 meters, with his head and right arm outside an aircraft flying at more than 600 kilometers per hour,” Tsiaras said.

Karović’s wife, Svetlana, who was seated three rows behind him, says she will never forget the moment the window shattered, oxygen masks dropped, and objects began flying through the cabin.

“I immediately ran toward him. None of the crew members helped us. The passengers did everything. One man, I think he was Albanian, did everything he could to pull Ljubiša back into the plane. He first tried to block the opening with a bag, but the air pressure immediately sucked it outside. Then he placed a suitcase over it, and that worked. We will be forever grateful to him,” Svetlana said.

TRAGEDIJA U NOVOM SADU: Troje ljudi stradalo u teškoj saobraćajnoj nesreći, vozilo se prevrnulo i završilo u vodi!

According to her, the horrifying sight of her husband being “half inside the plane, half outside” lasted between a minute and a half and two minutes.

Karović says others later told him that he lost consciousness twice and that his face had become severely deformed due to the sudden decompression and the powerful airflow.

Ryanair rejected claims that the cabin crew failed to respond, insisting that flight attendants acted in accordance with safety procedures.

In a statement provided to The Guardian, the airline said that during the cabin depressurization all passengers and crew members were required to remain seated with their seat belts fastened and wear oxygen masks, and that Karović received assistance as soon as the aircraft descended to a safe altitude.

“He was moved to another seat next to his wife, a doctor traveling as a passenger attended to him, and a medical team was waiting upon landing in Thessaloniki,” Ryanair said.

Karović’s lawyer, however, claims witnesses described the crew as being completely overwhelmed by the situation.

“Everyone said the crew was in shock and feared the aircraft was going to crash. It was the other passengers who came to his aid and gave him water,” Tsiaras said.

Karović, the owner of an aluminum factory in Serbia who has traveled frequently by air for years, says he now cannot even imagine flying again.

Doctors have advised him to wear a neck brace for at least six weeks, after which a decision will be made on whether surgery will be necessary.

“The images keep coming back—the sound of the explosion, the chaos… I just want to recover. And of course, I believe I should receive compensation, not just emails about changes to my flight reservation,” Karović concluded in his interview with The Guardian.

Asked what message he would send to other passengers, he replied briefly:

“Always fasten your seat belt. I don’t want anyone to go through what happened to me.”