Body Found In Plane Wheel Well May Belong To Missing Teen
A body found lodged inside a plane’s wheel well may belong to a missing teen. Officials with Amterdam’s Schiphol Airport discovered the body on Thursday morning. Authorities have now confirmed that the corpse matches the description of a 17-year-old Norwegian boy, who was reported missing on Wednesday morning.
Officials with the Netherlands’ border patrol said the victim was a stowaway, who likely died of asphyxiation. Spokesman Richard Haarman said detailed information will not be made public “out of consideration for his family.”
As reported by Star Tribune, the body was discovered on KLM flight 1212, which originated in Oslo, Norway on Thursday morning. Joost Ruempol, a spokesman for the airline, confirmed that a body was found in the plane’s wheel well. However, he refused to discuss the details.
Norwegian police said the teen went missing in Larvik, Norway. He is described as tall and thin, with light hair and freckles.
Although Dutch authorities were hesitant to discuss details of the investigation, Norwegian authorities said the body in the plane’s wheel well likely belongs to the missing teen:
“… the description and objects found with the dead person indicate with a high degree of certainty that it is the 17-year-old.”
Authorities in Norway have contacted the teen’s parents to confirm their suspicions. Norwegian and Dutch authorities said the incident, and the identity of the victim, are still under investigation.
Numerous adults and teens have died while hiding inside plane wheel wells. However, earlier this year, a 15-year-old beat the odds.
As reported by ABC News, the California teen was attempting to run away from home. The young man managed to evade security, climb into the wheel well, and hitch a five-hour ride. Although he suffered minor injuries, the young man survived the flight.
It is unclear how the 15-year-old California boy survived the flight. However, medical experts have suggested the teen fell into a “hibernation-like” state.
Although the California boy did survive, he was incredibly lucky. As wheel wells are not pressurized, lack of oxygen is a serious concern. Equally dangerous are the temperatures, which can drop to -85 degrees. Stowaways who do not die of asphyxiation will likely freeze to death.
Following the incident in California, the FBI and TSA have worked together to keep stowaways away from planes. Norwegian authorities expressed regret about the body found in the plane wheel well. However, they have not discussed increased security measures.
[Image via Wikimedia]
