Of the 168 passengers and seven crew, 26 were hospitalised with minor eardrum problems. -- AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
LIMOGES (France) - A RYANAIR jet plunged 8,000 metres in five minutes and 26 passengers were taken to hospital after the budget carrier flight made an emergency landing at a French airport, officials said on Tuesday.
The Boeing 737 was carrying 168 passengers and seven crew from Bristol in England to Barcelona when it suffered what police described as brutal decompression.
Rescuers said passengers had told how they became terrified as the plane plummeted and oxygen masks dropped down.
The plane landed at Limoges International Airport at around 11.30 pm (2130 GMT) on Monday as a 'safety precaution', Ryanair said, adding that the hospitalised passengers suffered from ear problems.
Emergency services said the ear problems were all minor.
Police said the jet came down 8,000 metres in five minutes but that an initial inspection of the plane had not revealed any causes for the depressurisation, police said.
Ryanair dispatched another aircraft to Limoges, which departed at 3.30 am with 127 people who wished to immediately continue their journey. The remaining passengers were expected to continue on to Girona later on Tuesday. -- AFP
