Friday 19 June 2015

South African Man Survives 8000mile Flight as Stowaway but Falls to Death before Plane Lands in London

Weh!, after surviving the flight in such horrendous conditions, he fell to his death when he had made it into the "promised land".

I really don't know why people still take such risks.  From Mirror UK
A stowaway fell to his death from the bottom of a plane as it flew over London after making the 8,000 mile journey from South Africa.
The man, believed to be in his late 20s, fell from the plane on the roof of an office in a busy high street in Richmond, south west London, close to Heathrow airport.
              Building where deceased fell on from the sky

The victim fell on to the roof of the offices of gift retailer notonthehighstreet.com in Richmond, south west London, which is below the flight path, yesterday at 9.30am.
According to reports in the Sun, police found the victim on top of an electrical box lying on his back with his legs in the air.
But a second man survived the 11-hour flight from Johannesburg in South Africa, clinging to the bottom of a British Airways 747 jet.
Police said the 24-year-old was discovered in the undercarriage of the plane at 8.30am.
He was taken to a west London hospital for treatment in a serious but stable condition but is now described as critical.
Scotland Yard said they believe they know the identity of the second man but awaited confirmation before releasing further details.
A spokeswoman said: "On Thursday 18 June police were called at around 09:35hrs to reports of a body discovered on the roof of a business premises on Kew Road, Richmond.
"The body is so far unidentified and enquiries are ongoing into this and how long it had been at the scene. No next of kin have yet been informed.
"At this time there is no evidence to link the death to the discovery of a stowaway in the undercarriage of a plane at Heathrow Airport; however this is one line enquiry into identifying the deceased and the circumstances of his death.
"The death is currently being treated as unexplained. A post-mortem examination will be held in due course.
"At around 08:30hrs earlier that day, police at Heathrow Airport were called to reports of a suspected stowaway on a flight from Johannesburg to Heathrow.
"The man, believed aged 24, was found in the undercarriage of the plane and was taken to hospital. His condition is now described as critical."
Not On The High Street released a statement saying the company "can confirm that the incident is unrelated to the business or its team members and are co-operating with the ongoing Police enquiry"

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