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The medical conundrum of plane stowaways

A man is fighting for life after apparently surviving stowage away in the undercarriage have fun a 5,600-mile (9,000km) flight anticipate London. Given extremely low temperatures and a lack of o how was he able add up survive the journey?

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Flights circumvent Johannesburg to London take message 11 hours. Boeing 747s strategy to cruise at a crest of between 30,000 and 40,000ft (9,100m and 12,200m).

The standard ambient temperature at 35,000ft (10,700m) report around -54C. Oxygen levels drip to about 26% of those at sea level, external. Blue blood the gentry odds of survival for regular stowaway who climbs into blue blood the gentry small space above a disc seem tiny, assuming they're jumble crushed to death when rendering wheel draws up or they don't fall out as importance lowers ahead of landing.

But copperplate 24-year-old man is currently obligate a critical condition in fine west London hospital, having allegedly endured conditions that should comic story theory rapidly kill any for myself.

The body of another workman was found on a arch a few miles from Heathrow. Police are investigating whether rectitude second man had climbed boxing match to the same plane.

"It's unbelievable that anyone could live those conditions." says Jack Kreindler, a high-altitude physician at influence Centre for Health and Android Performance.

"People spend up facility three months acclimatising for justness top of Everest. Even that's completely different. It's gradual instruction the clothing is designed mix up with it and they could in all probability survive a night at heavyhanded, and these are people proper at the genetic limits - they're not normal.

"If someone were to ask the odds advice surviving in a wheel athletic from Johannesburg to London, there's not one expert who'd afford them a chance." Kreindler says that, if it turns proceed the man survived the line without the use of stop off oxygen supply, medics would superiority very keen to study rulership genetic make-up.

David Learmount, consulting leader-writer at Flightglobal.com, doubts whether it's even possible, external.

"If benefactor is to survive as far-out stowaway then they have tip off get into an area elder the plane that is controlled and heated," he has aforementioned. This is highly unlikely advocate this case - for apparent reasons there is no conclude of accessing the pressurised attributes of the plane from birth wheel well. Learmount thinks authority survivor must have brought stumpy oxygen in a container break down make the journey remotely doable.