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05/18/2024 09:12:14 am

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Man Falls To Death From Plane, Another Man Survives; Stowaways Clung To British Airways Plane From South Africa To London?

A British Airways passenger jet takes off from Manchester Airport in Manchester, northern England April 24, 2012.

(Photo : REUTERS/PHIL NOBLE) A British Airways passenger jet takes off from Manchester Airport in Manchester, northern England April 24, 2012.

A man fell to his death Friday after clinging on to a British Airways plane, which flew from South Africa to London. Another stowaway from the flight has miraculously survived but remains in critical condition.

The British Airways plane reportedly flew 12,875 km from Johannesburg in South Africa to Heathrow, London.

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The body of the deceased had likely plunged from the plane's undercarriage and onto his death atop the company headquarters of an Internet company in West London below the flight path of the British Airways plane, according to The Times of India.

The flight from Johannesburg to London usually takes 11 hours.

The second man, who was discovered alive by a Heathrow staff, was reported to be between 25 and 30 years old. He remains in a serious condition in a West London hospital following the incident.

"We were called at 9:35 am on Thursday to Richmond to reports of a body discovered," according to a Scotland Yard spokeswoman.

UK police claims they know the identity of the survivor, who is reportedly 24 years old. However, they are still waiting for confirmation from South African authorities.

Police found "no evidence" of a link between the two stowaways, but they are already examining their link as "one line of inquiry," according to RT.

"It's a security breach. We need to find out how and why this happened. It's very rare for this to happen in South Africa," said Spokesman Colin Naidoo of Airports Company South Africa. Naidoo manages the airport from which the BA plane took off, the OR Tambo airport.

Stowaways die on the streets of West London are not uncommon. According to a report from The Irish Examiner, these people usually hide in the landing gear, making them exposed to elements and plummeting temperatures, and most are killed due to lack of oxygen and cold from high altitudes.

Since 1945, there have been over 100 attempts at hiding in a plane's wheel well or undercarriage in order to catch free rides.

Only three-quarters die from the journey especially if these men hide in the plane's wheel, according to the Federal Aviation Authority.

In 2012, a man also died of the same means upon entering the UK. The last successful attempt made was by a Romanian man who reached London by taking a shorter flight in 2010.

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