The Ryanair Boeing 737 in Limoges airport, France, after the mid-air emergency. (AFP)

London, Aug. 26: British holidaymakers on a Ryanair flight have claimed that oxygen masks failed to work when the cabin lost air pressure and the aeroplane plunged around 22,000 feet.

The aircraft had to be diverted to make an unscheduled landing and 16 of the 168 passengers on board were taken to hospital.

Passengers feared for their lives as the aircraft lost pressure and dropped to 8,000 feet on the Bristol to Barcelona-Girona flight. The aeroplane was diverted to Limoges International Airport in France as a “safety precaution” during last night’s flight.

Among those on board was Pen Hadow, the Arctic explorer whose son was one of those taken to hospital.

Hadow said some of the oxygen masks failed to work and the crew did not make any announcements to reassure passengers.

He described hearing a “loud and unnerving sound” as the cabin pressure dropped.

He went on: “I knew it wasn’t an engine problem. There was a sudden drop in temperature and a rush of cold air. You think to yourself: ‘God, is there a hole in the aircraft?’ It actually felt like someone had opened a door at the back of the aircraft. It was incredibly cold.

“The next thing, the oxygen masks were dropping. My highest priority was to get a mask on to my son who was sitting next to me in a bemused and frightened state.

“We were descending for about five minutes from what I assume was 30,000 or 40,000 feet to 8,000 feet. As we landed we saw fire engines every quarter of a mile down the runway.

“It was obvious to me that there was depressurisation in the cabin but there was no announcement and no evidence of the cabin crew for most of this experience. Why on earth didn’t they give a few more calming words to the passengers?” He added his mask “wasn’t filling up with oxygen and neither was my son’s”.

Hadow said: “He was hyperventilating. I looked at the lady on my left and her’s hadn’t filled up either. From where I was sitting I could see about 20 masks and only a few of them were inflating.”