Tragedy Unfolds in Plane's Undercarriage

Air France says "the lifeless body of a stowaway," believed to be a child, was discovered in the landing gear of a plane that arrived in Paris from the Ivory Coast early Wednesday. The body—said to be that of a boy of African origin around the age of 10—was found in the well of the Boeing 777’s landing gear around 6:40am local time, shortly after the plane arrived at Charles de Gaulle Airport from Abidjan, reports the BBC.

The flight takes about six hours, per Sky News. AFP reports the child was "not warmly dressed" and likely died from the cold or asphyxiation. "Aside from the human drama, this shows a major failing of security at Abidjan airport," an Ivorian security source tells the outlet. Amid an investigation, Air France "expresses their condolences and deplores this human tragedy," per a statement. (More Air France stories.)