Thanks for explanation
Most informative TheWanderer, thanks! My only concern was that the pasengers of the flight were taken to the hospital with ear pains etc, but indeed this things couldn't be prevented with the oxygen masks and were simply the result of the depressurization of the environment they were in. This still makes me wonder, though, what to do in case the pressure drops fast to make the pressures equal in your body with the surrounding pressure - as I understand the oxygen mask is only a remedy to allow me breath with an air mixture that contains more oxygen than available at high attitudes and keep me conscious. However, the body itself is still exposed to rapid pressure change and the question here is what to do to relieve some of the damage the pressure change can cause... Probably the post of notfred is also a good suggestion.
Cheers,
RS