African survives in aircraft's wheel section during flight to Europe

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands: Dutch military police have confirmed that a stowaway, a 22-year-old Kenyan man, was found alive in an aircraft's wheel section in Amsterdam.

The man, who plans to apply for asylum in the Netherlands, was conscious and able to communicate and is currently receiving medical treatment in a hospital.

He stowed away on a Cargolux freight flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam via Nairobi, and Dutch police are investigating whether he stowed away in South Africa or Kenya.

"It is expected he will apply for asylum in the Netherlands, but his medical treatment is the priority at the moment," a spokesperson for the Dutch military police told the BBC.

Due to the cold and low oxygen at high altitudes, it is unusual for stowaways on long flights to survive. Of the seven stowaways discovered on planes in the Netherlands over five years, only two were found alive, said officials.