The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Stowaway plunges to his death from BA flight
Second man critical in hospital after 8,000-mile flight
A stowaway has plunged to his death from a plane and landed on a business in a busy high street, while another is fighting for his life in hospital.
The two men are believed to have clung on to a British Airways plane as it flew more than 8,000 miles (12,875km) from Johannesburg in South Africa to Heathrow.
The victim fell on to the roof of the business NotOnTheHighStreet.com on Kew Road, Richmond, south-west London, on Thursday morning. Police and ambulance crews found the man dead at the scene at around 9.30am.
It is understood the second man, believed to be 24 years old, was found unconscious in the undercarriage of the plane at Heathrow around an hour earlier. He was taken to a west London hospital, where he is said to be in a critical condition.
The Rev Neil Summers, from the St John the Divine of Richmond church opposite where the body was found, said he was “shocked” and would lead prayers for the dead man.
He added: “In one sense it’s not totally surprising as it’s happened before. It’s very shocking when it’s so close to you.”
Hady Khoshkbary, who runs the printing shop next door, said he spotted police cars and ambulances outside and went to find out what had happened.
He said: “We were very lucky that the body did not drop on the road, it dropped on the building.
“We were very, very lucky that we did not see the body. Already this is a tragedy but that would have been horrific to see.”
The Metropolitan Police said officers are investigating the death and whether the dead man is a stowaway.
“The body is so far unidentified and inquiries are ongoing into this and how long it had been at the scene. No next of kin have yet been informed” they said.
“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 inquiry into identifying the deceased and the circumstances of his death.
“The death is currently being treated as unexplained. A post- mortem examination will be held in due course.”
A British Airways spokeswoman said: “We are working with the Metropolitan Police and the authorities in Johannesburg to establish the facts surrounding this very rare case.”