In a harrowing experience, a woman recounted how she firmly grasped her husband’s legs as he was nearly pulled from a Ryanair aircraft at an altitude of 20,000 feet, striving valiantly to save him.

Serbian native Ljubiša Karović found himself perilously suspended outside the plane after a catastrophic engine failure sent debris crashing through a window. In a panic, his wife Svetlana Grković held onto his legs, desperate to prevent him from being completely ejected from the cabin last Friday.

The drama unfolded on flight FR1879, a Boeing 737-800 en route from Thessaloniki, Greece, to Memmingen, Germany, compelling the flight crew to abort their journey and return to the original airport to execute an urgent landing.

Witnesses on board reported hearing an explosive noise shortly after takeoff, a sound that was soon identified as the shattering of the plane’s window.

Seated by the compromised window, Mr. Karović was nearly pulled through the gaping hole, teetering dangerously close to disaster.

But his wife held him by his legs for about five minutes, after which fellow passengers were able to pull him back into the cabin as oxygen masks dropped down. 

Now Ms Grković has described the ordeal in the air, which took place as she and her husband were heading back from a summer holiday in Greece.

She told Nova: ‘It was as if a part of the engine broke off and hit the window next to which my husband Ljubiša was sitting. 

‘I reacted immediately and grabbed his legs. I thought: “If we die, we die together.” It was horrible.’

Chaos ensued with some passengers panicking and others rushing to help Mr Karović.

‘Some people came to my aid, I remember one man and one woman,’ she added. ‘That man helped me a lot, Ljubiša and I.’ 

Ms Grković said she would like to thank the heroic passenger in person after he helped save her husband’s life. 

Mr Karović remains in hospital and is believed to be unable to speak due to his injuries. He also has friction burns and is in a state of severe shock.

His wife said his hand is badly injured and he also has a series of burns.

She recalled that he lost consciousness several times during the incident and cannot remember much of what happened.

Mr Karović comes from Vrnjačka Banja in central Serbia but has spent a lot of time in Greece, where he sells and rents apartments in the resorts of Paralija and Olympic Beach.

One passenger told the Informer: ‘Luckily, he didn’t unbuckle his seat belt. His wife Svetlana Grković held his legs for five full minutes, until the other passengers ran to help and managed to pull him back into the cabin.’ 

Footage, shared by a Ryanair flight attendant, appeared to show a missing engine blade and damage to the outside of the aircraft before panning to the smashed window. A large hole could also be seen in the side of the engine casing. 

Another witness told Greek broadcaster ERT that the man’s ‘head and shoulders were sticking out of the broken window’. 

Travellers feared they ‘wouldn’t make it’ as the jet flew for around 30 minutes with the damaged window.

One witness, who had been sitting at the back of the plane, said they did not initially realise what had happened.

‘We thought we were falling,’ they said. ‘We were wearing oxygen masks, we didn’t know if we would make it.’

The witness added that Mr Karović ‘had blood on his head’ and ‘fainted several times’.

A Ryanair spokesman told the Daily Mail: ‘A Ryanair flight from Thessaloniki to Memmingen on Friday morning returned to Thessaloniki shortly after take-off when a passenger window dislodged inflight.

‘The aircraft landed normally and passengers returned to the terminal.

‘One passenger requested and received medical assistance on the ground in Thessaloniki.

‘In order to minimise any delay, a replacement aircraft was arranged to bring passengers to Memmingen which departed Thessaloniki at 9.53am local this morning.’

According to publicly available flight data, the Ryanair plane landed back in Thessaloniki after one hour and 14 minutes. 

A pregnant woman also on board the flight was taken to hospital. According to local media, she is in good health and has since left hospital. 

Commenting on the incident, the president of the Panhellenic Federation of Public Hospital Employees (POEDIN) claimed there was ‘almost a tragedy’.

He said the ‘damaged’ window gave way and that part of the passenger’s body was pulled outside the aircraft before he was restrained by his wife.

In a tragic twist of events, a dog managed to activate a toaster, sparking a fire that ended up claiming the lives of three other pets in a Maryland residence, as reported by authorities.

Firefighters rushed to the scene at 4319 Foxglove Court in Belcamp in response to a fire at a single-family home just after 5:30 p.m. on Friday, according to a statement from the Abingdon Fire Company.

The firefighting teams were able to bring the blaze under control within approximately 20 minutes.

Fire officials, as reported by Fox 45, confirmed that the homeowners were absent during the fire and no people suffered any harm.

Neighbors rescued two dogs from the home, but a third dog and two cats died in the fire, the outlet reported.

The family’s bearded dragon was later found alive and survived after 24 hours in critical care.

Fire officials said the fire started in the kitchen before spreading to other parts of the home.

It was determined that one of the family’s dogs jumped onto the kitchen counter and accidentally turned on the toaster, igniting nearby combustibles. The dog that switched on the toaster was one of the two that were rescued by neighbors.

The fire was recorded on a Ring home security camera, which showed the dog jumping on the counter and pawing at items and assisted deputy state fire marshals in determining the fire’s point of origin, Fox 45 reported.

Deputy state fire marshals officially ruled the cause of the fire as accidental, according to the outlet.

The house sustained extensive damage from fire, soot, smoke and water.

Officials estimated that about $150,000 worth of structural damage and $50,000 worth of damage to the contents of the home were caused by the blaze.

LAS VEGAS — Dillon Jones may not have played a single minute in the NBA Finals, but his influence on the championship run was significant, serving as an unofficial advisor to coach Mike Brown.

During the 2025 championship campaign with the Thunder, Jones drew from his experience to assist the team in navigating critical situations.

Coach Brown valued the insights of his young player so much that he acted on at least one piece of advice, having the Knicks replay their Game 3 defeat against the Spurs to motivate them.

A similar strategy had proven effective for the Thunder the previous year, when Jones was still coming off the bench as a reserve guard.

“Honestly, it reflects more on coach than on me and anything I suggested,” Jones commented on Monday following a victory over the Pistons in the summer league, with a final score of 86-75. “His willingness to approach me, have discussions, and even seek my input is a testament to his character. It shows his humility in listening to everyone within the organization. I’m just grateful to have contributed to the team in any way I could.”

Jones said the idea to rewatch Game 3 came up in “organic conversations” with Brown.

“Nothing specific. Just conversations me and coach had,” Jones said. “And we were just talking about different things, and it came up in an organic conversation. It wasn’t like I was just sitting home plotting on what to say or anything like that. … These things — you try different things all the time. You never know what works and what doesn’t. I’m glad I was able to help the team.”

Jones is now fighting for a training camp invite.

Mohamed Diawara (left ring finger injury) and Pacôme Dadiet (right foot soreness) both sat Monday, but the Knicks didn’t miss them — riding rookie Jack Kayil to their first summer league win.

Kayil, a second-round pick who played last season in Germany, dropped a team-high 19 points with three steals in 29 minutes.

“Very talented kid. Super gifted,” Jones said. “One thing I appreciate with him — obviously, he wasn’t available early in summer league but when he came in the group, he knew what was going on, he understood what was going on. I think that speaks to his upbringing and coming up in Europe. Very talented kid. … He’s not going there trying to overshadow. … He’s got a bright future.”

Kayil arrived late to summer league because of a contract dispute with his German club. He said he doesn’t want to be stashed overseas this season.

Another free agent center is off the board.

Or is he?

Jonas Valanciunas appeared to push back on an overseas report that he finalized a deal to sign with Lithuanian squad BC Zalgiris, posting on social media with laughing emojis, “You wake up and see that everything has been decided for you, don’t need to do anything myself. Thank you, reporters.”

Still, Valanciunas’ signing with Zalgiris — while maybe not finalized — remains expected, according to BasketNews.

Valanciunas, 34, is a free agent after being waived by the Nuggets. He’s reportedly targeted by the Knicks, who are thin at center with only Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond on the roster.

In Jefferson County, Alabama, a man faces animal cruelty charges after an anonymous tip-off prompted action by the local sheriff’s office. The arrest followed the information received on a Sunday.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office reports that an off-duty deputy, who regularly oversees the Mount Olive vicinity, was alerted by an anonymous source. The tip included video evidence allegedly showing a man attempting to abandon two dogs along Woodward Road.

Officers were dispatched to the 6000 block of Lakeside Drive to assess the animals’ situation. Upon their arrival, it became evident that both dogs were suffering from malnutrition and were living in substandard conditions.

An investigator from Jefferson County Animal Control advised that the suspect, identified as Delmetrius Bishop, age 38, be detained. Subsequently, Bishop was taken into custody and transported to the Jefferson County Jail without any complications.

The dogs were then taken to the Greater Birmingham Humane Society, where they are receiving necessary examinations and care.

“Our deputies did a great job on using the information and evidence received from a citizen to make an arrest,” Jefferson County Sheriff Mark Pettway said in a statement. “We always say, ‘See something, say something,’ and that’s exactly what happened.  The information they provided made a big difference.”

Bishop was charged with first-degree animal cruelty with a $15,000 bond and second-degree animal cruelty with a $6,000 bond. He has since been released from the Jefferson County Jail.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact the JCSO at 205-325-1450 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.