A fire alert aboard a Ryanair flight bound for Manchester triggered panic and chaos at Palma Airport in Majorca, resulting in 18 injuries during an emergency evacuation early Saturday.
The incident occurred just after midnight while the aircraft was still on the runway. Passengers were immediately evacuated following the alert, with video footage showing some climbing onto the aircraft's wing and jumping to the tarmac below. Emergency services, including four ambulances, airport fire crews, and police, responded swiftly.
Medical teams confirmed that 18 individuals required treatment, with six transported to local hospitals, as reported the Sun.. The injuries were said to be minor.
Social media footage captured scenes of passengers frantically leaping from the wing and running across the tarmac.
Meanwhile, others used the emergency slide on the opposite side, following standard evacuation protocol.
An airport employee, quoted by The Sun, remarked: "Do you know the plane has emergency exits? Now the people are jumping from the wing onto the ground."
Adding to the confusion, some passengers described a lack of clear direction from cabin crew during the alert. According to one distressed mother whose daughter was on board, the crew appeared overwhelmed, as quoted by the Sun: "One attendant shouted, 'Get off', the other froze and she didn't know what was going on. She looked as shocked as the passengers."
The woman further recounted a harrowing phone call from her daughter during the evacuation: "My daughter called me and said, 'Mum, I'm trying to get down the slide, I might not survive this and I love you'. It was horrible. I couldn't sleep all night, even after I knew she was safe. They got no support when she got in the airport."
Airport authorities confirmed that the emergency call was received at 12.36 am. A spokesperson for Majorcan emergency services stated, "We received an alert about a fire on a plane on the ground at Palma airport at 00.36 am today. Four ambulances were sent to the scene which were two basic life support units and two advanced life support units. Eighteen people were injured and received medical assistance of whom six were taken to hospital. They were all minor. Three went to the Clinica Rotger and three to the Palmaplanas Hospital."
Ryanair later clarified that the evacuation was triggered by a false fire warning. In its official statement, the airline said: "This flight from Palma to Manchester 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 this morning. We sincerely apologise to affected passengers for any inconvenience caused," it further added.
The incident occurred just after midnight while the aircraft was still on the runway. Passengers were immediately evacuated following the alert, with video footage showing some climbing onto the aircraft's wing and jumping to the tarmac below. Emergency services, including four ambulances, airport fire crews, and police, responded swiftly.
Medical teams confirmed that 18 individuals required treatment, with six transported to local hospitals, as reported the Sun.. The injuries were said to be minor.
Social media footage captured scenes of passengers frantically leaping from the wing and running across the tarmac.
Meanwhile, others used the emergency slide on the opposite side, following standard evacuation protocol.
An airport employee, quoted by The Sun, remarked: "Do you know the plane has emergency exits? Now the people are jumping from the wing onto the ground."
Adding to the confusion, some passengers described a lack of clear direction from cabin crew during the alert. According to one distressed mother whose daughter was on board, the crew appeared overwhelmed, as quoted by the Sun: "One attendant shouted, 'Get off', the other froze and she didn't know what was going on. She looked as shocked as the passengers."
The woman further recounted a harrowing phone call from her daughter during the evacuation: "My daughter called me and said, 'Mum, I'm trying to get down the slide, I might not survive this and I love you'. It was horrible. I couldn't sleep all night, even after I knew she was safe. They got no support when she got in the airport."
Airport authorities confirmed that the emergency call was received at 12.36 am. A spokesperson for Majorcan emergency services stated, "We received an alert about a fire on a plane on the ground at Palma airport at 00.36 am today. Four ambulances were sent to the scene which were two basic life support units and two advanced life support units. Eighteen people were injured and received medical assistance of whom six were taken to hospital. They were all minor. Three went to the Clinica Rotger and three to the Palmaplanas Hospital."
Ryanair later clarified that the evacuation was triggered by a false fire warning. In its official statement, the airline said: "This flight from Palma to Manchester 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 this morning. We sincerely apologise to affected passengers for any inconvenience caused," it further added.
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