Plane stowaways were Cuban cadets

One body was found on the runway at Gatwick Airport

Two teenagers who fell from an aircraft over southern England were Cuban military cadets who wanted a new life in the US, it has been reported.

Cuban state television reported that Alberto Esteban Vazquez, 17, and Michael Fonseca, 16, died after stowing away on board a British Airways flight to London at Christmas.

The boys, both students at a military school in Havana, are believed to have died from cold and lack of oxygen after stowing away in the front undercarriage compartment of the plane.

One body was found at Gatwick Airport after it was seen falling on to the main runway from the jet.

The body of the other was found in a field near to the airport.

The Cuban television station said the incident had been investigated on the orders of President Fidel Castro and showed the dangers of illegal immigration.