sockFAP - "What other force...?" Ram air into the front of the intake. Emphasis on the "RAM."
Like a balloon popping, if the intake loses structural integrity ("comes apart") through fatigue or whatever other fault, the pieces will tend to shoot off in all directions in whatever is the "path of least resistance." With ram air coming in from the front, and a fairly solid chunk of nacelle and engine behind, that path will be mostly sideways.
Think of a plastic or paper cup, mounted at its base onto something solid. Direct a firehose into the open mouth of the cup, and it will fan out sideways as it comes apart.