An airport ground crew member found the body of an unidentified man in a plane's wheel well in Malaysia, according to a local report
The person, estimated to be 17–25 years old, had no identification and had reportedly been dead for over 72 hours
Wheel wells are a common but dangerous hiding spot for stowaways due to extreme conditions during flights
A ground crew member working at one of Asia's busiest airports made a shocking discovery on board a flight from Japan, according to a local news report.
Just before 7 a.m. local time on Thursday, Aug. 27, engineering personnel at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Malaysia found the body of an unidentified man inside the wheel well on a flight from Tokyo, according to Malaysian newspaper The Star.
The crew member tasked with inspecting the wheel well reportedly made the discovery about 30 minutes after the plane landed because there was a foul smell coming from the compartment. The deceased man was allegedly found lying face down inside the tire storage area on the right side of the aircraft.
The man is believed to have been dead for over 72 hours, The Star reports.
Ravi Munusamy, the assistant commissioner for the KLIA police district, confirmed to the outlet that the police received an initial report on the incident from the Airport Operations Control Center around 7 a.m. Forensic personnel were subsequently dispatched to the scene.
The victim was later estimated to be between 17 and 25 years old. He was reportedly found wearing a white hoodie with "Oakley" written on the front and a dragon image on the back, blue jeans, brown leather belt, socks and a pair of black tennis shoes. However, no identification documents were found on his person.
The body has been sent to the forensic department at Serdang Hospital to determine his identity and cause of death, according to the outlet. Those with information on the incident are encouraged to reach out to the KLIA district police headquarters.
PEOPLE has reached out to the Kuala Lumpur International Airport and local police outside regular business hours for comment.
A plane's wheel well is the enclosed space on the underside of an aircraft that houses the landing gear that retracts during flight. It is a common area for stowaways to hide but highly dangerous as it exposes individuals inside to a lack of oxygen, hypothermia and potential falling risks.
In a separate event on June 16, the body of an unidentified man was found inside the landing gear of an Air Arabia plane that landed at Gatwick Airport in England, according to the BBC, The Argus and The Standard.
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A post-mortem examination determined that man's cause of death was cardiac arrest, hypoxia (lack of oxygen) and hypothermia, according to the BBC.
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