LIMOGES, France (AFP) - Twenty-six people were hospitalised after a Ryanair aircraft en route from Britain to Spain made an unscheduled landing in France following a loss of cabin pressure, emergency workers said Tuesday.

The plane landed at Limoges International Airport on Monday around 11:30 pm (2130 GMT) as a "safety precaution", Ryanair said, adding the passengers were hospitalised for ear problems.

The Boeing 737 was flying to Barcelona-Girona airport in Spain from the southwestern British city of Bristol, when a brutal depressurisation forced the aircraft to descend 8,000 metres (26,400 feet) in five minutes, police said.

Terrified passengers told how they had feared for their lives as the aircraft plummeted and oxygen masks dropped down.

Of the 168 passengers and seven crew, 26 were hospitalised with minor eardrum problems, emergency workers said.

Ryanair dispatched another aircraft to Limoges, which departed at 3:30 am with 127 people who wished to immediately continue their journey. The remaining passengers were expected to continue on to Girona later on Tuesday.