Passenger fury at Ryanair after pressure drop forces landing

Passengers of budget airline Ryanair expressed anger today over the way the company treated them following an unscheduled landing in Germany that forced dozens to seek hospital treatment.

In interviews with German and Irish media, passengers described moments of terror as their plane flying from Dublin to Zadar, Croatia, late yesterday descended suddenly, following what Ryanair said was a drop in cabin pressure.

Oxygen masks fell from the ceiling and passengers reported feeling intense pain in their ears until the plane levelled off and landed at Frankfurt-Hahn airport.

Minerva Galvan Domenech from Spain told news website Spiegel Online that passengers, some of them bleeding from their ears, mouth or nose, had to wait 45 minutes before being allowed to leave the plane.

German police said 33 of the 189 passengers on board were taken to a nearby hospital after complaining of headaches, ear pain and nausea. All were able to leave again by this morning.

Passenger Conor Brennan told the Irish Times newspaper that "airport staff and Red Cross did their best to handle the situation, as Ryanair were nowhere to be seen."