Stowaways Die After Falling From Plane in Ecuador

Two stowaways died Monday after falling from the landing gear of a New York-bound plane in Ecuador, the Associated Press reported.

The two people fell from the landing gear of a Latam Airlines-operated plane as it took off from José Joaquín de Olmedo International Airport in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Officials did not identify the two victims, according to the AP. The flight continued to its destination of New York after the incident occurred.

The airport, located in a city along the coast of the country, shut down operations for 90 minutes to remove the bodies from the runway, the AP reported. Investigators are now looking into whether the two stowaways jumped from the landing gear in an attempt to get off the plane, or "if the system itself expelled them," according to the Latin America Herald Tribune.

In April 2014, a 16-year-old stowaway attempting a similar maneuver survived while traveling in a Hawaiian Airlines wheel well on a flight headed for the tropical islands. At the time, Travel and Leisure reported aviation experts were "dumbfounded as to how he could have survived."