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Stowaway falls to death from wheel of South Africa flight over London, while another is in hospital

British Airways said: 'We are working with the Metropolitan Police to establish the facts surrounding this very rare case'

Louis Dore
Friday 19 June 2015 16:36 EDT
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A stowaway fell to his death in London yesterday after clinging to the bottom of a British Airways jet, which departed from South Africa.

The victim, aged between 25 and 30, fell from the undercarriage of the British Airways 747 jet onto the offices of retailer NotOnTheHighStreet.com in Richmond.

The Sun reports that police found the man lying on his back with his legs in the air on the building’s roof, on top of an electrical box.

The man is believed to have clung onto the aircraft’s wheel as it reached Heathrow Airport, 8,000 miles from the departure point in South Africa.

A second stowaway has since been taken for treatment at a West London hospital, where he is in a stable condition.

In a statement, British Airways said: "We are working with the Metropolitan Police and the authorities in Johannesburg to establish the facts surrounding this very rare case."

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