Man’s body is found in undercarriage of plane that landed at Gatwick after flying from Gambia

A man’s body has been found in the wheel bay of a Tui flight from Gambia to Britain without any identity documents.

Sussex Police said the discovery was made at Gatwick Airport at around 4am on December 7.

The unidentified body of a black male was found on the jet that flew 3,600 miles from Gambia’s capital of Banjul.

Police are investigating what happened with the Gambian authorities and will prepare a report for the coroner.

Sussex Police said the discovery was made at Gatwick Airport (pictured) around 4am on December 7

Tui said it would not comment as the incident was a police matter (stock image)

Ebrima G. Sankareh, Gambia’s government spokesman, said: ‘According to the information, the deceased black male was found within the wheel bay of the aircraft without identification documents to establish his name, age, nationality or travel itinerary. It is, therefore, not clear at this stage, who he is.’ 

The force said in a statement: ‘Police were called after the body of a man was found in the undercarriage of an aircraft at Gatwick Airport, arriving from Gambia, at about 4am on December 7.

‘Officers are investigating and a report will be prepared for HM Coroner.’

A Gatwick spokesperson said: ‘This is terribly sad news and our thoughts go out to the family and friends of the deceased.’ 

Tui said it would not comment as the incident was a police matter. 

Stowaways on planes and ships from Africa to Europe have happened before. 

In 2015, Dutch authorities discovered a body in the landing gear of a plane in Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. 

In November, three stowaways were found on a ship’s rudder in the Canary Islands after an 11-day ocean voyage from Nigeria. 

A stowaway who clung to the undercarriage of a jumbo jet and survived an 11-hour, 5,639-mile flight from South Africa to London spoke out for the first time in 2021.

He recalled how he emerged from a coma months later to learn his best friend had fallen 5,000ft from the aircraft to his death.

Themba Cabeka was unconscious in hospital for six months after being discovered on the ground at Heathrow Airport.

He had been starved of oxygen and subjected to temperatures of -60C as the British Airways jet flew from Johannesburg on June 18, 2015.