A young man from Kenya survived a multi-hour flight in the nose of a cargo transport plane. After the trip as a “stowaway” from Africa, the 22-year-old was found unconscious in Amsterdam. The man is doing “pretty well”, as a spokesman for the Dutch border police told the German Press Agency on Monday. According to his own statements, he comes from Nairobi and has since applied for asylum.
Border police discovered the man on the plane at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol on Sunday. According to the police, he was unconscious and hypothermic. After he regained consciousness and was responsive, he was taken to a hospital.
The plane operated by the cargo airline Cargolux had started in South Africa and had a stopover in Kenya. The young man had probably climbed onto the plane there. How he did this is still under investigation. The border police are also investigating whether people smugglers were involved.
“Stowaways” are usually found dead
But experts are puzzled as to how the man was able to make it alive. “It’s very extraordinary that someone survived,” said the police spokesman. It is true that people keep trying to travel undetected in the undercarriage of an airplane. But “stowaways” hiding in the cargo hold or by the chassis usually don’t survive the journey.
Some fall to the ground as soon as the landing gear is extended. Others die from hypothermia or lack of oxygen. At about 10,000 meters it can be as cold as minus 50 degrees and the oxygen content in the air is very low. According to experts, the conditions may have been more favorable at the front of the plane.
It is the second time that a “stowaway” on a plane has survived the journey to the Netherlands. In February 2021, a 16-year-old from Kenya was found at Maastricht/Aachen Airport. He too was hypothermic and unconscious, but recovered quickly. He also applied for asylum in the Netherlands.
Source: Nachrichten
