Stowaway boys arrive dead at Heathrow - Sarah Hall : Two Ghanaian boys aged 12 and 14 have been found dead in the undercarriage well of an aeroplane at Heathrow airport, apparently having tried to smuggle their way into Britain.

The two were found by a ground engineer huddled together in the wheel compartment of a Ghana Airways DC-10. They had light clothing and no baggage.

They may have sneaked into the plane's underbelly as it taxied down the runway at Accra, the Ghanaian capital. They appear to have been killed by lack of oxygen and sub-zero temperatures.

Yesterday, detectives, working with Ghanaian police, sought to identify them and to find whether they had hoped to meet family or friends.

"We don't know whether they were trying to seek asylum, whether they hoped to visit family over here, or if it was a prank that went wrong," said a Scotland Yard spokesman.

From time to time migrants tuck themselves into the undercarriage well of a jet for Britain, but those who escape being crushed when the wheels retract often die of hypothermia in temperatures of minus 40 C as the plane cruises at 30,000ft.

"It's horrific. Every year, we have between six or 10 cases of people dying as they try to make their way here.

"But we have never before seen stowaways as young as this," the spokesman added.

They were discovered on Saturday evening at Heathrow when groundcrew spotted a body through the gap into which the wheels retract.

Heathrow - the world's busiest international passenger airport - has seen similar tragedies.

In April, a man, believed of African origin, was found in an undercarriage well.

Two years ago, two Cuban asylum seekers froze to death on a flight from Havana to Gatwick.

The body of the first fell to earth when the wheels were lowered for landing, the body of the second remained lodged in the undercarriage well until the plane took off the following day.