A fire alarm on board a Ryanair Boeing 737 aircraft from Manchester caused panic at Palma de Mallorca Airport.
A total of 18 people were slightly injured early Saturday morning after a a fire alarm on a Ryanair plane at Palma de Mallorca Airport, Spain after flight RK3445 landed from Manchester and was about to perform the return flight.
The incident generated moments of great tension, as passengers evacuated the aircraft through the emergency exits, jumping from the wings directly to the ground to reach safety without time to follow the crew’s instructions.
Emergency vehicles
The SAMU061 coordination center received the call at 12:36 a.m., reporting a fire on an aircraft still parked on the tarmac to perform the flight RK3446 to Manchester.
The 061 Emergency Medical Coordination Center immediately activated the multiple casualty incident protocol , mobilizing two Advanced Life Support (ALS) ambulances and two Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances to the scene.
Transfers to hospitals
Among 18 passengers with minor injuries, six required hospital transfer: three were referred to the Rotger Clinic and the other three to Palmaplanas Hospital.
Airport firefighters and Civil Guard personnel also participated in the intervention, assisting in the evacuation and monitoring the situation on the runway.
Cause of fire and second emergency
The cause of the fire has not yet been revealed. The return flight RK3446 finally departed at 07:00 CEST, more than 8 hours late but declared an emergency on approach to Manchester Airport.