A stowaway survived a flight from Africa to Amsterdam in the wheel section of a cargo plane, officials say

• A stowaway was found alive in a cargo plane that landed in Amsterdam on Sunday, Dutch police said.
• The man could have boarded when the plane took off from South Africa or when it stopped in Kenya.

A man was found alive in the wheel section of a cargo plane that was traveling from Johannesburg, South Africa, to Amsterdam, the BBC reported.

Royal Dutch Military Police spokeswoman Joanna Helmonds told the AFP news agency that the man was taken to the hospital in stable condition.

"This is definitely very unusual that someone was able to survive the cold at such a height — very, very unusual," Helmonds said.

Insider's Bill Bostock has previously reported that most stowaways freeze to death during the flight and usually fall out of the plane when it begins to land.

It's "quite remarkable that the man is still alive," Helmonds added.

The flight from Johannesburg to Amsterdam takes about 11 hours. The flight also made a stop in Nairobi, Kenya, the BBC reported. It's not clear if the man boarded the plane in South Africa or Kenya.

Police have not released the name and ethnicity of the man.

Dutch broadcaster NOS reported that the man had an elevated body temperature when he was found. However, the broadcaster reported that he was able to answer basic questions by the time an ambulance showed up.

Insider has reached out to freight carrier Cargolux for comment. In a statement to Reuters, Cargolux said the man was on a plane operated by Cargolux Italia.