Discovered Right After Landing of Kam Air Flight from Kabul
Two-Hour Journey... Testified "I Boarded Out of Curiosity"
A 13-year-old Afghan boy, driven by curiosity, secretly hid on a passenger plane departing from Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, and arrived in Delhi, India.
On September 22 (local time), Indian media outlets such as India Today reported that a 13-year-old Afghan boy was discovered in the landing gear compartment (the device necessary for takeoff and landing, including the airplane wheels) of Kam Air flight RQ-4401, which departed from Kabul and arrived at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on September 21.
According to reports, the boy, who is from Kunduz Province in northern Afghanistan, breached a restricted area of Kabul Airport and hid himself in the rear landing gear compartment of the aircraft. After a flight of about two hours, he arrived in Delhi around 11 a.m.
The boy was discovered immediately after landing when an airline employee spotted him wandering near the runway. He was then apprehended by airline staff and handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) of India, after which he was moved to another location for investigation.
During questioning, the boy stated that he boarded the aircraft simply out of curiosity and was not aware of the dangers involved, according to India's PTI news agency. Authorities put the boy on the same flight departing from Delhi at 12:30 p.m. that day and repatriated him to Afghanistan.
Kam Air security personnel, during a thorough search of the landing gear compartment, discovered a small red speaker believed to have belonged to the boy. After completing security checks, including anti-terrorism inspections, the aircraft was confirmed to be safe.
As news of the incident spread, both Afghan and Indian netizens expressed disbelief. One commenter said, "I can't understand how he survived the subzero temperatures and lack of oxygen at thousands of meters above ground." The typical cruising altitude for a passenger plane is 9,300 meters, where temperatures can reach minus 50 to 60 degrees Celsius and winds are extremely strong. Other netizens also remarked, "It's truly unbelievable," and "An astonishing survival," unable to hide their amazement.
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