Kenyan stowaway survives 19,000ft flight clinging to landing gear in sub-zero temperatures
Teenager would have been starved of oxygen and faced conditions of minus 30C during London to Maastricht journey
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A teenage Kenyan stowaway has survived a flight from London to Maastricht after climbing into the landing-gear bay area of the fuselage.
The 16-year-old boy was found after the cargo jet landed in the Netherlands city on Thursday.
It is thought the youngster may have survived the plane’s earlier – and far longer – flight from Nairobi in Kenya to London Stansted Airport, via a stop in Istanbul in Turkey.
A spokesperson for Maastricht Aachen Airport said: “He had tremendous luck to get through this.”
The spokesperson told the NetherlandsNewsLive website that temperatures within the landing gear bay of the Turkish Airlines Airbus A330 would have fallen to minus 30C, adding: “Stowaways on airplanes are rare, and most people sadly don’t survive the journey.”
The teenager is now in hospital suffering hypothermia but is said to be otherwise in a relatively healthy condition.
Dutch police say there are currently trying to trace the boy’s exact route and will be investigating potential human trafficking links in connection with the incident.
It is not the first time a stowaway has survived a seemingly impossible plane journey.
Themba Cabeka, from South Africa, spent six months in hospital after clinging to the undercarriage of a jumbo jet during an 11 hour, 6,000 mile flight between Johannesburg and London in 2015.
Experts say that, during the journey, he would have been starved of oxygen and subject to temperatures of minus 60C.
He was discovered unconscious in the grounds of Heathrow Airport.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments