A 14-year-old homeless boy who stowed away in the landing gear of a passenger jet has survived a 700-kilometer flight across southwest China.

But a friend riding with him fell from the plane and died during Thursday's hour-long flight between Kunming and Chongqing, which reached an altitude of about 7 000 meters.

The Xinhua news agency reports the survivor clung to the landing gear for an hour in cold temperatures and limited oxygen.

Porters at Chongqing airport found the terrified, dumbstruck boy in the undercarriage shortly after the plane landed. He says his friend fell out from the aircraft onto the runway when it took off. Witnesses thought at first that it was a piece of baggage.

An official explains that the landing gear compartment could only hold one adult securely. With the buffeting of takeoff, one of them was shaken out.

(CRIENGLISH.com November 13, 2004)