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British man found dead on London rooftop could have been plane stowaway

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A body found on the roof of a building in London is believed to be a stowaway who had fallen from the undercarriage of a British Airways plane that flew from Johannesburg to London's Heathrow Airport.

Another man was also found unconscious in the undercarriage of the same flight. He was taken to hospital in critical condition. 

But police said in a statement: "At this time, there is no evidence to link the death to the discover of a stowaway in the undercarriage of a plane at Heathrow Airport.

"However, this is one line of enquiry into identifying the deceased and the circumstances of his death."

British police added that the surviving man, 24, was found on the morning of June 18 at the airport after calls were received related to a suspected stowaway on the 10-hour long flight.

British Airways said in a short statement that it was working with police and authorities in Johannesburg “to establish the facts surrounding this very rare situation."

Bodies have previously been found in the street in the Richmond and Kew areas of London which lie below the point at which many jets open their landing gear doors to put the wheels down as they approach Heathrow Airport.





Experts say the chances of a stowaway managing to avoid either being crushed by the wheels as they retract after take-off or being frozen to death during the flight are very small.

Source: Reuters

TOURISM & TRAVELAirlineCOURT & CRIMElondonplaneUncategorisedunited kingdom