The sports category has moved to a new website.
ADVERTISEMENT

Nigeria probes claims of teenager who survived 12 hours in the wheel compartment

The boy, said to be aged 15 or under, was apparently discovered in the wheel compartment of a Med-View Airline Boeing 747.

A boy, said to be aged 15 or under, was apparently discovered in the wheel compartment of a Med-View Airline Boeing 747 which made the round trip from Lagos to London

The boy, said to be aged 15 or under, was apparently discovered in the wheel compartment of a Med-View Airline Boeing 747 which made the round trip last Saturday.

"We are looking into the incident to find how it happened and to prevent a recurrence," Sam Adurogboye, of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), told AFP.

Adurogboye said the authorities were "disturbed by the incident because of its implications for air safety".

ADVERTISEMENT

Nigerian media quoted Med-View's spokesman Oyibotha Obuke as saying the airline was cooperating with the relevant authorities.

How the teenager survived at an altitude of 32,000 feet (9,754 metre) was a mystery, said Adurogboye.

Hypoxia or oxygen deficiency normally sets in from about 10,000 feet and would quickly render a person unconscious.

Temperatures at that altitude plunge to -48 degrees Celsius (-55 degrees Fahrenheit), causing hypothermia.

But there have been previous examples of stowaways surviving in the wheel compartment of passenger jets.

ADVERTISEMENT

An October 1996 report by the US Federal Aviation Administration, "Survival at High Altitudes: Wheel-Well Passengers", documents five survivors between 1947 and 1993.

Three of them were teenagers, one aged 13 and two aged 17.

In April 2014, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation said a 16-year-old boy survived a five-and-a-half hour flight from California to Hawaii at altitudes of up to 38,000 feet.

In October 2007, a 27-year-old man was charged with entering Singapore without a valid pass or permit, after stowing away on a 35-minute flight from Kuala Lumpur.

Harsh social and economic conditions in Nigeria are forcing many people to undergo risky journeys searching for greener pastures in Europe and the United States.

ADVERTISEMENT

In March last year the body of a stowaway was discovered in the undercarriage of an Arik Air jet flying from Lagos to New York.

Another body was found on an Arik Air flight from Lagos when it landed in Johannesburg in November last year.

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: news@pulselive.co.ke

Recommended articles

Marianne Kitany tactfully speaks on whether Ruto should fire her ex, CS Linturi

Marianne Kitany tactfully speaks on whether Ruto should fire her ex, CS Linturi

Gov't & opposition officials clash at Rita Tinina's burial ceremony

Gov't & opposition officials clash at Rita Tinina's burial ceremony

CS Murkomen unveils new number plates for cars that will get preferential treatment

CS Murkomen unveils new number plates for cars that will get preferential treatment

Moi University students escape through windows after road crash

Moi University students escape through windows after road crash

57,000 civil servants to have their rent reviewed upwards

57,000 civil servants to have their rent reviewed upwards

Interesting story of U.S. Army Specialist Wambui who comes from a military family

Interesting story of U.S. Army Specialist Wambui who comes from a military family

Heroic GSU officer dies after jumping out of a taxi along Thika Super Highway

Heroic GSU officer dies after jumping out of a taxi along Thika Super Highway

DJ Joe Mfalme detained for 14 more days

DJ Joe Mfalme detained for 14 more days

Explosive blows up hotel next to police station, deaths reported

Explosive blows up hotel next to police station, deaths reported

ADVERTISEMENT