Two stowaways on US-bound flight from Ecuador die after falling from aircraft
Incident closes Jose Joaquin de Olmedo airport in Guayaquil for 90 minutes
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.Two men thought to have been stowaways on a US-bound flight from Ecuador have died after they fell from the aircraft, it has been reported.
The Jose Joaquin de Olmedo airport in Guayaquil was closed for an hour and a half as their bodies were removed from the runway.
Employees at the airport noticed three objects falling from the plane and officials believe the pair either fainted or were ejected.
“As we approached, we saw two people – one on the runway and the other in the grass area”, local prosecutor Carlos Bustamante told El Comercio newspaper. “The first one had a pulse, but died minutes later. The other person had died.”
“What is known is that the plane came from Peru. From the characteristics of the citizens, they may come from Peru, and from here they would go to the United States, to New York”, he added.
The third item that was spotted falling from the plane was a suitcase which contained clothes and approximately $20 (£14).
The Boeing 767-300, operated by Latam, returned to the airport soon after takeoff before continuing its journey.
Authorities have not ruled out the possibility that other people may have managed to remain smuggled on board, Sky News reported.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments