Two stowaways hiding in plane's landing gear fall to death during takeoff

The airport personnel at Guayaquil scurried to the runway as they noticed three objects falling out of LATAM Airlines flight and landing with a thud, fearing the New York bound plane to Ecuador had lost important parts.

On closer inspection, they found a dead man, another one struggling to live, USD 20 and a suitcase full of clothes, the Washington Post reported.

According to Ecuador-based El Comercio, Guayaquil's police chief General Marcelo Tobar later said that the men had possibly climbed into the aircraft’s landing gear section and were either pushed out by mechanics or had simply changed their minds.

Officials suggest that the two men, who did not have identification, were Peruvian and were 25 and 30-years-old.

The flight which originated in Lima was forced to circle back and make an emergency landing Jose Joaquin de Olmedo International Airport, LATAM Airlines Group spokesman David Harry said. He added that the airline was cooperating in the ongoing investigation.

The country's second largest airport had to be shut down for 90 minutes following the incident.