A man was nearly sucked out the cabin window on a Ryanair flight from Greece to Germany. An initial loud bang was followed by a desperate rescue effort to save the passenger.

A Ryanair flight to southern Germany had to return the Greek city of Thessaloniki on Friday after a passenger window broke shortly after takeoff.

The pressure difference pulled the head and shoulders of the man sitting by the window outside the aircraft, and a desperate rescue effort ensued.

What happened on the Ryanair flight?

Travelers heard a loud bang during Friday's flight to Memmingen Airport in Bavaria after which the window pane smashed, and oxygen masks dropped from the ceiling.

The passenger sitting by the window had kept his seat belt fastened, which helped prevent him from being pulled farther out of the aircraft and eased the rescue, a witness told Radio Thessaloniki.

"His head and shoulders were sticking out of the broken window," one witness told Greek broadcaster ERT.

Some passengers began screaming while others, including the man's wife, struggled to hold and successfully drag him to safety.

Greek media identified the man as a Serbian tourist. He was taken to hospital in Thessaloniki with abrasions but was otherwise in good condition, according to Greek authorities.

Ryanair said the aircraft returned to Thessaloniki shortly after departure because "a passenger window became dislodged during the flight." The airline said the plane landed normally and that a passenger had received medical treatment.

What might have caused the incident?

Greek media reported that a piece from one of the aircraft's engines had broken off and struck the window while the plane was flying over North Macedonia.

Two sources familiar with the incident gave the same account to the Reuters news agency, although Ryanair did not identify the cause.

The return flight to Thessaloniki took around 20 minutes after the incident, according to a passenger.

The plane was identified as a Boeing 737-800.

Flight data showed that the same aircraft had returned to Thessaloniki shortly after taking off for Sarajevo on Thursday evening. It was not immediately clear why that flight was diverted. Authorities have opened an investigation.

Ryanair provided a replacement aircraft, which departed Thessaloniki at 9:53 a.m. local time (0853 GMT) and later landed in Memmingen.

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Edited by: Natalie Muller