‘Crew screamed 'evacuate' so we LEAPT from plane's wings': Inside Ryanair panic as airline accused of downplaying horror
Protocol allegedly went out the window when a steward ran down the aisle screaming "evacuate, evacuate" and panicked passengers clamoured to escape after a false fire alert.
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Footage of the Manchester-bound plane on the tarmac in Palma, Majorca shows a cluster of people on the wing - with some plunging to the ground.
Multiple passengers required surgery for badly broken bones after crunching onto the tarmac metres below - despite the airline claiming only "very minor injuries (ankle sprains, etc.)" were sustained.
Francine Elkinson, 57, suffered a bad break to her right foot and had to undergo a three-hour operation to have pins and plates inserted.
Speaking from her hospital bed in Palma on Monday, Francine told The Sun: "I was watching a film when suddenly they told everyone to evacuate.
"There was an open door and I just went through it. I was so terrified and in a daze that I didn't know what was going on, and I jumped."
Francine said she was among three people taken to the hospital in Palma - and believes there were six overall with broken bones.
Emergency services in Majorca reported that 18 people had been injured in total.
Ryanair has organised for Francine to return to the UK on a flight this evening - but she said she is "terrified" and doesn't want to fly again.
Her friend, Danielle Kelly, 56, was back in surgery on Monday for a third operation after breaks to her foot, wrist and elbow all needed pins inserting.
Other passengers who were onboard have blamed the Ryanair staff for the "totally chaotic" evacuation.
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Richard and Jo Barton, from Saddleworth, Greater Manchester, slammed the airline team's behaviour as "appalling", insisting: "They completely failed."
Richard, in his late sixties, said: 'I can't believe what Ryanair are currently claiming.
'They're brushing it off as just a few sprained ankles and banal injuries- that's not what happened.
Jo, in her early 60s, said: "I witnessed a woman with a dislocated leg in a weird angle, it wasn't just sprains and bruises.
'In reality, it was pure hell and chaos. I could see men even pushing women and children out of the way to get out for safety.
'People were scrambling to get off the plane through the exit doors leading to the wings, with people leaping 15 feet from the wings to the ground.
'Those people broke their arms, legs and shoulders and they were screaming and crying in agony."
Richard pins the chaos on the "lack of training and terrible handling" by the team of air stewards.
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He said: "One them was yelling: 'Evacuate, evacuate!'
"Some lads pushed the emergency exit open over the wing, because that's what you're told to do in the safety briefing, and people went out onto the wing.
"Everyone thought there was a fire and there was nobody at all there to direct them - so some people jumped out of panic."
The former operations director believes even one of the air stewardesses broke her leg after plunging from the wing.
"I know this because I helped carry her 50 years away from the plane," he said.
The couple claims that after the passengers evacuated, wounded people were lying around in an unsafe area near the plane - and were forced to wait up to 30 minutes for medical help.
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Passengers were left hanging around with minimal information until a new flight was finally arranged at 7am, Richard said.
Ryanair's said: 'This flight from Palma to Manchester (4 July) 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.'
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