The body of a boy of unknown nationality was found in the wheel well of an American C-130 aircraft after it landed at Ramstein Air Base in Germany, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.
The incident triggered questions about the security of an aircraft that had made several stops in Africa.
Air Force personnel found the boy’s body Sunday night after spotting an orange cloth in a small opening by the landing gear while airmen during a detailed inspection of the C-130J aircraft when it landed at Ramstein Air Base. When they tugged on the wet cloth, they discovered it was attached to a boy in the compartment, officials said.
The Pentagon’s press secretary, Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby, said the stowaway was a black male who may have been of African origin. The plane was on a routine mission in Africa and had made stops in Senegal, Mali, Chad, Tunisia and Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily before arriving at Ramstein.