Air France Boeing 777 jet
© Global Look Press via ZUMA Press 11The child's body was found in the undercarriage of an Air France Boeing 777 jet.
A child aged around 10 years old has been found dead in the undercarriage of a plane that touched down at a Paris airport after arriving from the Ivory Coast.

Air France has confirmed that the "lifeless body of a stowaway" was discovered at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris early on Wednesday morning.

The child travelled to the French capital on an Air France Boeing 777 jet, which took off from the Ivory Coast city of Abidjan on Tuesday evening. The airline said that an investigation into the death is ongoing.

"Aside from the human drama, this shows a major failing of security at Abidjan airport," an Ivorian security source told AFP news agency.

There have been several instances of clandestine passengers being found dead in the undercarriage of planes in recent years. Last year, the body of a stowaway was found in a London garden after falling from a plane traveling to the UK from Kenya.