British Airways stowaway lands on rooftop

One of two stowaways who are believed to have clung onto the wheels of a British Airways flight from Johannesburg to London has died after falling onto a shop in southwest London.

Both men flew more than 8,000 miles from Johannesburg in South Africa to Heathrow.

The second man, aged between 25 and 30, is in a serious condition in a west London hospital after miraculously surviving the ordeal.

He was discovered alive by staff at Heathrow.

The victim died as the Boeing 747 came into land over Richmond at around 9.30am on Thursday.

He reportedly landed on the roof of NotOnTheHighStreet.com in Kew Road.

A spokesman for the firm said: “Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and found the body of a male on the roof of the premises.

“The death is currently being treated as unexplained but early indications are that the body may be that of an airline stowaway.

“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.”

British Airways described it as a “very rare case” and said it is working with police in London and Johannesburg to establish the facts.

A Scotland Yard spokeswoman said: “Officers and the London Ambulance Service attended and found the body of a dead man on the roof of a business premises.

“The death is currently being treated as unexplained.

“A post-mortem examination will be held in due course and inquiries are ongoing to establish the male’s identity. No arrests have been made.”

There have been previous cases of stowaways falling from planes in the Heathrow flight path area in southwest London.

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