This archive report was first published on 2 July 2019.
On Sunday afternoon, a man sunbathing in his garden in south-west London had a shocking encounter when the body of a suspected stowaway fell from a Kenya Airways plane heading to Heathrow Airport.
According to a neighbour, who wished to remain anonymous, he heard a loud 'whomp' when the body hit the ground and went upstairs to look out of a window.
'At first, I thought it was a tramp asleep in the garden,' the neighbour said. 'He had all of his clothes on and everything.'
However, upon closer inspection, the neighbour saw blood all over the walls of the garden and realized that the person had fallen from the plane.
'His head was not in a good way,' the neighbour said. 'I realised immediately that he had fallen.'
A photograph published in The Sun newspaper on Tuesday showed the extent of the damage, with paving stones in the garden smashed and the ground dented.
Police believe the victim fell into the property in Clapham from the landing gear compartment of the plane.
Officers found a bag, water, and some food in the landing gear compartment once the plane arrived at Heathrow.
Many stowaways do not survive due to the lack of oxygen and freezing temperatures in the wheel-wells of aircraft flying at high altitude.
Aviation expert Alastair Rosenschein stated that the problem occurs due to a lack of security at airports and immigration issues.
