Body of child stowaway discovered in Air France plane's undercarriage

Jan. 8 (UPI) -- Workers at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport found the body of a child who stowed away in the undercarriage of an Air France airplane, the airline announced Wednesday.

The boy, believed to be about 10 years old, was found Tuesday after a long-haul flight from Abidjan, Ivory Coast. The National Gendarmerie told BBC News the body was found around 6:40 a.m.

"Air France confirms that the lifeless body of a stowaway was discovered in the well of the landing gear of the aircraft performing flight AF703 connecting Abidjan (ABJ) to Paris-Charles de Gaulle on January 7, 2020," the airline said in a statement on Twitter.

"The company expresses its compassion and deplores this human tragedy. An investigation is underway."

The incident comes six months after a suspected stowaway fell from a Kenya Airways flight as it made its approach to London's Heathrow Airport. The man's body fell into a London garden and investigators found a bag, water and food in the landing gear compartment of the plane.