Dead man found in wheel of plane flown from Gambia to England

A dead man was found in the wheel bay of an airplane that flew from Gambia to Britain, Gambian authorities said this week.

The unidentified body of a black male was found on a jet operated by TUI Airways — a British charter airline — that had flown from Gambia’s capital of Banjul to London’s Gatwick airport, Ebrima G. Sankareh, Gambia’s government spokesman, said in a statement Tuesday.

The flight was on December 5 and Gambia’s government received information about the incident this week from England’s Sussex Metropolitan Police, said Sankareh.

“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,” he said.

Gambian authorities are collaborating with British police and the body has been taken to a morgue for DNA testing and an investigation is underway, according to the statement.