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Stowaway fell to death from plane on to London office after 8,000-mile flight Stowaway fell to death from plane on to London office after 8,000-mile flight
(about 2 hours later)
A suspected stowaway has been found on the roof of a west London office building after plunging to his death from a British Airways flight.A suspected stowaway has been found on the roof of a west London office building after plunging to his death from a British Airways flight.
The man is believed to have climbed on to the Boeing 747 before it flew more than 8,000 miles (12,875km) from Johannesburg in South Africa to Heathrow.The man is believed to have climbed on to the Boeing 747 before it flew more than 8,000 miles (12,875km) from Johannesburg in South Africa to Heathrow.
The victim fell on to the offices of online marketplace Notonthehighstreet.com on a busy road in Richmond, south-west London, which is below the flight path, on Thursday morning. Flight data reveals the plane would have been at an altitude of around 1,400 feet when it passed over the area. The victim fell on to the offices of the online marketplace Notonthehighstreet.com on a busy road below the flight path in Richmond, south-west London, on Thursday morning. Flight data reveals the plane would have been at an altitude of around 1,400ft (427m) when it passed over the area.
Related: One in four plane stowaways can survive, but London case is astonishingRelated: One in four plane stowaways can survive, but London case is astonishing
A second man, understood to be 24 years old, survived the journey and was in a serious condition in hospital. He was believed to have been found unconscious in the undercarriage of the plane at Heathrow before the other man’s body was discovered. A second man, understood to be 24 years old, survived the journey and is in a serious condition in hospital. He is believed to have been found unconscious in the undercarriage of the plane at Heathrow before the other man’s body was discovered.
A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: “We were called at 9.35am on Thursday 18 June to Kew Road, Richmond, to reports of a body discovered. Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and found the body of a dead man on the roof of a business premises. The death is currently being treated as unexplained.A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: “We were called at 9.35am on Thursday 18 June to Kew Road, Richmond, to reports of a body discovered. Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and found the body of a dead man on the roof of a business premises. The death is currently being treated as unexplained.
“A postmortem examination will be held in due course and inquiries are ongoing to establish the male’s identity. No arrests have been made.“A postmortem examination will be held in due course and inquiries are ongoing to establish the male’s identity. No arrests have been made.
“In regards to the male who survived, police were alerted at 8.28am on 18 June to reports of a suspected stowaway on a flight from Johannesburg to Heathrow.“In regards to the male who survived, police were alerted at 8.28am on 18 June to reports of a suspected stowaway on a flight from Johannesburg to Heathrow.
“The man, aged believed to be between 25 to 30, has been taken to a west London hospital and currently remains in a serious condition. Inquiries are ongoing to establish the man’s identity.” “The man, believed to be aged between 25 to 30, has been taken to a west London hospital and currently remains in a serious condition. Inquiries are ongoing to establish the man’s identity.”
A British Airways spokeswoman said: “We are working with the Metropolitan police and the authorities in Johannesburg to establish the facts surrounding this very rare case.”A British Airways spokeswoman said: “We are working with the Metropolitan police and the authorities in Johannesburg to establish the facts surrounding this very rare case.”
Related: Stowaway death of man who died with a single pound in his pocketRelated: Stowaway death of man who died with a single pound in his pocket
A spokesman for Notonthehighstreet.com said the incident was unrelated to the business or its team members. “We are co-operating with the ongoing police inquiry,” he said. A spokesman for Notonthehighstreet.com said the incident was unrelated to the business or its team members. “We are cooperating with the ongoing police inquiry,” he said.
The location where the body was found is underneath the busy flight path of aircraft coming in to Heathrow. A plane was coming in to land every few minutes as, below, journalists trained cameras on the offices of Notonthehighstreet.com.
Staff from the business, which describes itself as a curated online marketplace, were making no comment other than to refer to the statement it had released.Staff from the business, which describes itself as a curated online marketplace, were making no comment other than to refer to the statement it had released.
Worshippers at a church across the road from where the body was found will on Friday night offer up prayers, said the local vicar, who described the incident as a stark reminder on the local community’s doorstep of how desperate others are to reach a better life in Europe. Worshippers at a church across the road from where the body was found will offer up prayers on Friday, the local vicar, the Rev Neil Summers, said. .
“It’s very shocking when something like happens on your doorstep. Coupled with all the migrants coming across the high seas into Europe from north Africa, it’s just another example of how desperate people are to reach this country to try to find a better life for themselves,” said the Rev Neil Summers. “It’s very shocking when something like this happens on your doorstep. Coupled with all the migrants coming across the high seas into Europe from north Africa, it’s just another example of how desperate people are to reach this country to try to find a better life for themselves,” he said.
“It’s horribly sad when something like this happens and we will be offering up prayers for their memory this afternoon. Our sympathies go out to relatives and friends of those involved.” “It’s horribly sad when something like this happens and we will be offering up prayers for their memory … Our sympathies go out to relatives and friends of those involved.”
There was sympathy, too, from Hadt Khoshkbar, who runs a printing business next door to the Notonthehighstreet.com offices, recounting how he had also come also come to the UK in 1976 from Iran. There was sympathy, too, from Hadt Khoshkbar, who runs a printing business next door to the Notonthehighstreet.com offices, recounting how he had come to the UK from Iran in 1976.
“This is at least the third time that bodies have fallen from aircfraft in this area. The other one I can remember was in Mortlake,” he added. “This is at least the third time that bodies have fallen from aircfraft in this area. The other one I can remember was in Mortlake,” he said.
“When I left here at 9.30 nothing was happening but when I came back at 11 there were police here and the ambulance had arrived,” he said. “How did they get inside the plane? Someone must be incredibly desperate to do it. You can see people coming every day by boat from north Africa. I came here a long time ago, but I do feel sympathy for these people.”“When I left here at 9.30 nothing was happening but when I came back at 11 there were police here and the ambulance had arrived,” he said. “How did they get inside the plane? Someone must be incredibly desperate to do it. You can see people coming every day by boat from north Africa. I came here a long time ago, but I do feel sympathy for these people.”
There have been previous cases of stowaways plunging to their deaths in west London after smuggling themselves on to planes. They hide themselves in the landing gear where they are exposed to the elements and have to endure plummeting temperatures. Most are killed by the cold and lack of oxygen at high altitudes. Colin Naidoo, a spokesman for Airports Company South Africa, which manages OR Tambo international airport from where the flight originated, said authorities were still investigating how the stowaways made it past security.
“It’s a security breach … we need to find out how and why this happened,” he said. “It’s very rare for this to happen in South Africa.”
Mayihlome Tshwete, home affairs department spokesman, said he had not yet received information on the identity of the men.
The British Airways flight departed for Heathrow at 19.45 (1745 GMT) on Wednesday, Naidoo said.
“As this is a very serious incident and a tragedy, the Airports Company South Africa is working closely with the South African police services, British Airways and the London authorities to fully investigate the matter and establish the facts relating to the incident,” he said.
There have been previous cases of stowaways plunging to their deaths in west London after smuggling themselves on to planes. They hide in the landing gear where they are exposed to the elements and endure sub-zero temperatures. Most are killed by the cold and lack of oxygen at high altitude.
In September 2012, Jose Matada, 26, died after falling from the undercarriage of a Heathrow-bound flight from Angola on to a quiet street in Mortlake, west London.In September 2012, Jose Matada, 26, died after falling from the undercarriage of a Heathrow-bound flight from Angola on to a quiet street in Mortlake, west London.
An inquest into his death heard that Matada, from Mozambique, is believed to have survived freezing temperatures of up to -60C (-76F) for most of the 12-hour flight. But it was believed he was dead or nearly dead by the time he hit the ground. An inquest into his death heard that Matada, from Mozambique, was believed to have survived temperatures as low as -60C (-76F) for most of the 12-hour flight. It was believed he was dead or nearly dead by the time he hit the ground.
David Learmount, an aviation expert and consulting editor of Flight International magazine, said the fact that one of the two men survived the long flight suggests he may have been able to get into the baggage hold section of the aircraft, which would raise serious questions of security. David Learmount, an aviation expert and consulting editor of Flight International magazine, said the fact that one of the two men survived the long flight suggests he may have been able to get into the baggage hold section of the aircraft, which would raise serious security questions.
Learmount said: “If these two were neither airline nor airport staff and somehow managed to get on a flight then it becomes a serious security issue. Just how did they get (on the restricted) airside at the airport? “If these two were neither airline nor airport staff and somehow managed to get on a flight, then it becomes a serious security issue. Just how did they get (on the restricted) airside at the airport?
“Then there’s the question of just where on the plane these two were. If a person was in the wheel well of a plane on an 11-hour flight there’s really very little chance of surviving.“Then there’s the question of just where on the plane these two were. If a person was in the wheel well of a plane on an 11-hour flight there’s really very little chance of surviving.
“You are either going to be frozen to death by temperatures of -50C or you are going to die through lack of oxygen with the plane flying at 35,000 feet.” “You are either going to be frozen to death by temperatures of -50C or you are going to die through lack of oxygen with the plane flying at 35,000f.”