Gatwick Airport
(Picture: PA Archive)A man’s body has been found in the undercarriage of a plane that flew from Gambia to Britain.
Sussex Police said the discovery was made at Gatwick Airport around 4am on December 7.
The force said in a statement: “Police were called after the body of a man was found in the undercarriage of an aircraft at Gatwick Airport, arriving from Gambia, at about 4am on December 7.
“Officers are investigating and a report will be prepared for HM Coroner.”
According to Gambian authorities, the man was found in the wheel bay of a jet operated by TUI Airways.
Ebrima G. Sankareh, Gambia’s government spokesman, said the flight had travelled from Gambia’s capital of Banjul to Gatwick.
He said officials recieved information about the incident this week from Sussex Police, and that the man’s identity was currently unknown.
“According to the information, the deceased black male was found within the wheel bay of the aircraft without identification documents to establish his name, age, nationality or travel itinerary. It is, therefore, not clear at this stage, who he is," said Mr Sankareh.
A direct flight from Gambia’s capital Banjul to Gatwick takes around six hours.
Gambian authorities are collaborating with British police and the body has been taken to a morgue for DNA testing and an investigation is underway, he added.
A Tui Airways spokesperson said: “We can confirm that an investigation with authorities is underway after a body was discovered on a TUI flight from Gambia to London Gatwick Airport on December 7. We would like to express our sincere condolences.”
In 2015, Dutch authorities discovered a body in the landing gear of a plane from Africa in Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.
In November, three stowaways were found on a ship's rudder in the Canary Islands after an 11-day ocean voyage from Nigeria.
