Plane stowaway in serious condition in France

The Air Algérie flight left Oran in north-western Algeria on Thursday morning

A man has been taken to intensive care after he was found in the undercarriage of a plane that flew from Algeria to France, French authorities said.

The man was found in the landing gear compartment by staff after it had flown a two-and-a-half-hour flight from Oran to Paris's Orly airport.

An airport source told AFP news agency he was suffering from severe hypothermia when he was found.

He was not carrying any ID, prosecutors said, so his age is unclear.

Some French reports say he is believed to be aged between 20 and 30, while others say he is as young as 15.

He was transported to Henri-Mondor hospital in Créteil, the local prosecutor's office said.

There are serious risks associated with trying to travel in the undercarriage of a plane.

During the flight, temperatures can drop to as low as -63C (-81F), bringing on hypothermia. A lack of oxygen is also a lethal danger.

In 2019, a suspected stowaway was found dead on the roof of a house in London after falling from the landing gear of a flight travelling into Heathrow Airport from Kenya.

Another stowaway was found alive in the wheel section of a plane that landed at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport from South Africa in 2022.