Amsterdam

Stowaway Survives 11-Hour Flight to Amsterdam in Wheel Section of Cargo Plane

As of Monday morning, the man's status was unclear

Cargolux Airlines International Boeing 747-4HQF(ER) landing in Amsterdam
Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images

A man who was discovered hiding in the wheel section of a cargo plane at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on Sunday survived an 11-hour flight, Dutch military police have said.

"The man is doing well under the circumstances and has been transported to the hospital," said the military police, or Marechaussee, in a statement on Sunday. They said that the stowaway had been found in the nose wheel of the cargo plane that had originally departed from South Africa.

"Our first concern of course was for his health," Marechausse spokeswoman Joanna Helmonds said. "This is definitely very unusual that someone was able to survive the cold at such a height — very, very unusual."

As of Monday morning, the man's status was unclear. NBC News has contacted the Dutch military police for further comment.

Read the full story on NBCNews.com here. 

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