A man’s head was allegedly sucked out of a cabin window that broke apart mid-flight on a European budget flight Friday while passengers stepped forward to hold him in the cabin.

The flight departed Thessaloniki, Greece, for Memmingen, Germany, then turned back shortly after takeoff, the airline Ryanair said in a statement obtained by the BBC. The Irish budget airline said a passenger window “dislodged” in the air and the plane landed safely, with travelers returning to the terminal. “One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki,” the airline continued.

Christina, a passenger, reportedly described what unfolded inside the cabin. “We immediately realised there had been a decompression. There were screams… for a moment I thought someone had accidentally opened the emergency door,” she told Greek news outlet Radio Thessaloniki, according to the BBC. (RELATED: ‘Bang’: Firework Collides With Plane Carrying 52 Passengers)

“The masks dropped and there was a strong smell. The head and shoulders of one passenger were outside the window. Fortunately, he hadn’t taken off his seat belt,” she said, the outlet reported.

Information indicated that passengers stepped forward to hold the passenger in the cabin, IN.gr reported in Greek. The BBC also reported that passengers stepped up, citing Greek reports.

The injured traveler was allegedly a 60-year-old Serbian man in his 60s, according to Greek outlet CNN.gr. He was reportedly taken to AHEPA hospital in Thessaloniki with a neck injury, IN.gr reported. Michalis Giannakos said the man’s wife helped hold him after his body was pulled toward the opening. Giannakos is President of the Panhellenic Fedederation of Public Hospital Employees, the BBC reported.

Greek authorities alleged that severe engine failure caused a fragement to shatter a passenger window shortly after liftoff, leading to one injured, according to EuroNews. Officials said the aircraft’s fuselage did not appear to suffer damage.

The aircraft, a Malta Air Boeing 737-800 flown for Ryanair as flight FR1879, left the airport at 6:12 a.m. local time and reached around 16,000 feet before is started decending at approximately 6:23 a.m. departure, Simple Flying reported, citing FlightRadar24 data. The plane landed at 7:08 a.m. local time. A replacement plane reportedly carried the remaining passengers to Germany that morning and landed about four hours late.

The same aircraft had turned back to Thessaloniki once before, shortly after a Thursday evening departure for Sarajevo, CNBC reported, citing FlightRadar 24 data and a source. The reason for that earlier diversion is reportedly unclear.

The Irish Aviation Authority said it knew of the incident and would help Greek and Maltese authorities investigate, according to the BBC.