Panic attack and heat stroke: Passengers on a Ryanair plane were reportedly confined to a plane without air conditioning for three hours on Friday when the thermometer in Malaga, Spain, read a sweltering 42C.
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“They brought us down after people passed out and there were panic attacks,” said Tiktoker Marco Ferrero, who was on the plane, in Italian, according to a video shared on social media.
According to his report, passengers were trapped without air conditioning on the plane, which was grounded in Malaga, southern Spain, awaiting departure for Milan, Italy.
However, the mercury outside then showed 42°C. The pictures show the dripping passengers trying to ventilate the cabin as best they can with scraps of paper.
Only when some of them allegedly began to lose consciousness and even ambulances had to be on site were the doors opened, the Italian continued in his video.
“The story of the passenger is overwhelming and especially the pictures. There are people who are visibly affected by the heat. Some of them were rescued exhausted by an ambulance and medical staff on the runway,” said Ivano Giacomelli of consumer association Codici, demanding accountability from the airline, according to Italian outlet Il Fatto quotidiano.
The company, in turn, only pointed out that it had been grounded for maintenance work, which would have delayed the departure.
“In order not to lose the departure time, the passengers stayed on board while the technicians carried out maintenance work on the aircraft. “Unfortunately, the plane was not released in time, so it lost its slot and the passengers had to disembark,” she said in a press release, according to Italian media.