Flight details
Stowaway discovered in the landing gear compartment
According to the BBC, a stowaway was found alive in the nose wheel section of the 747. Royal Dutch Military Police note that the man was taken to hospital in stable condition.
"The man was found alive in the nose wheel section of the plane and was taken to hospital in a stable condition...This is definitely very unusual that someone was able to survive the cold at such a height - very, very unusual." Royal Dutch Military Police spokeswoman Joanna Helmonds told media.
Indeed, even if the stowaway boarded in Kenya, eight hours at cruising altitude without a heated and pressurized cabin presents extreme life-threatening conditions. At this point, we don't know if the individual boarded in Johannesburg or Nairobi, with authorities noting that the man's age and nationality had not yet been determined.
With the man's body temperature raised at the scene (Schiphol airport), he was then taken to hospital by ambulance. Sources also note that he was able to answer basic questions.
Reuters reports that a Cargolux spokesperson has confirmed via email that the stowaway had been on a flight operated by Cargolux Italia. "We are not in a position to make any further comment until the authorities and the airline have completed their investigation," the airline said to the news agency. Simple Flying has reached out to Cargolux requesting a statement regarding additional information. However, at the time of this article's publication, no response has been received.
While the stowaway in this incident survived, this may not always be the case, as Simple Flying has reported in recent months.What are your thoughts on this incident? Share them with us by leaving a comment.