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Amsterdam: Man found alive after traveling 11 hours on plane landing gear

Dutch authorities discovered a man traveling clandestinely – hiding in the front wheel of a cargo plane – after the plane landed at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport on Sunday (23).

The man had been in hiding for more than 11 hours since the flight departed Johannesburg, South Africa, according to a spokesperson for Schiphol Airport and the police. Although the individual has not been identified, authorities said he is believed to be between 16 and 35 years old.

“We discovered that a person was found hiding in a cargo plane on the airport’s loading dock this morning,” Schiphol airport spokeswoman Willemeike Koster told CNN. The Royal Dutch Military Police are dealing with the situation, Koster said.

The airport ground crew spotted it, was the first to notice something, which looked like a person, and immediately notified authorities. Upon arriving at the scene, Dutch police and emergency services confirmed that the man was alive but with a low body temperature, Royal Dutch Military Police spokeswoman Joanne Helmonds said.

“We were surprised to find this man, but even more surprised that he is alive after the plane has flown over 10,000 [quilômetros] in very, very cold temperatures,” Royal Dutch Military Police spokeswoman Joanne Helmonds told CNN.

The man was revived and stabilized at the airport and then transported to a hospital in Amsterdam, Helmonds added.

“Once the man is recovered and released from the hospital, he will be processed at the Asylum Seekers Center (AZC), where his status will be determined if he is indeed seeking asylum,” Helmonds said.

Flight time between Johannesburg and Amsterdam averages 11 hours, and if the flight had made a stopover in Kenya, the journey would have been several hours longer, according to the Royal Dutch Military Police.

Cargolux, the Luxembourg cargo airline on which the stowaway was aboard, declined to comment on the news until an investigation into the situation is completed.

This content was originally created in English.

original version

Reference: CNN Brasil

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