A chaotic evacuation unfolded at Palma Airport in Majorca when a false fire alarm triggered panic aboard a Manchester-bound Ryanair flight, leaving multiple British passengers with serious injuries, including broken bones. The midnight incident on Saturday saw terrified travelers scrambling to escape the aircraft after hearing a sudden bang followed by screams from flight attendants ordering an immediate evacuation.
In the ensuing pandemonium, passengers faced a harrowing choice — wait for emergency slides or take desperate measures to escape. According to The Sun, several chose to clamber onto the wing and jump directly to the tarmac below, resulting in injuries as they fell approximately 10 feet onto the hard surface. Emergency services quickly responded with four ambulances, airport firefighters, and police rushing to the scene while panicked passengers fled across the runway.
British Passengers Among The Most Seriously Injured
Two UK citizens reportedly suffered broken bones during the evacuation, contradicting Ryanair’s initial statement that passengers only experienced “very minor injuries like ankle sprains.” Savanah, a 26-year-old from Whitefield, Manchester, revealed her 57-year-old mother broke her ankle in three places and required immediate surgery. Her friend’s mother suffered multiple fractures, including a broken elbow, wrist, and foot.
“All of a sudden I heard a bang. It didn’t worry me too much. Then everyone was screaming and running,” Savanah told Manchester Evening News. “The air stewardess screamed, ‘Get off the plane, leave your belongings.’ It was utter chaos.” The mother of another passenger shared her daughter’s distressing phone call during the evacuation: “Mum, I’m trying to get down the slide, I might not survive this and I love you.”
Witnesses report confusion among the cabin crew during the emergency. One passenger’s mother claimed, “One attendant shouted, ‘Get off,’ the other froze and she didn’t know what was going on. She looked as shocked as the passengers.” This apparent lack of coordinated response may have contributed to some travelers taking matters into their own hands by jumping from the wing rather than using proper evacuation procedures.
Ryanair Acknowledges False Alarm But Downplays Injuries
Ryanair confirmed the incident resulted from “a false fire warning light indication” and arranged a replacement aircraft that departed at 7:05 a.m. However, the airline’s statement to People characterized the injuries as “very minor”. It stated that “passengers were disembarked using the inflatable slides” — a claim disputed by Savanah, who insisted “there were no slides” on their side of the aircraft.
Doctors have deemed the most seriously injured passengers unfit to fly until Monday, leaving them stranded in Majorca. Savanah described further “chaos” at the medical center, which had only “one single room” to treat multiple injured passengers. Some travelers also lost personal belongings in the rushed evacuation and were unable to retrieve them due to ongoing safety concerns.
