Nationalities of deceased on JetBlue plane wheel still unconfirmed, says Jamaican gov’t

Addressing rumors and reports circulating on social media, Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Kamina Johnson Smith, says “there is no immediate basis” to say that the two people found dead on JetBlue flight were Jamaicans.

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Two individuals were found dead in the wheel well of a JetBlue aircraft after it landed at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on Monday night. The airline confirmed the discovery on Tuesday, although the identities of the deceased remain unknown. The circumstances surrounding how they accessed the aircraft are still under investigation.

The bodies were discovered during a routine post-flight maintenance inspection after the plane, operating as Flight 1801, had arrived from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York. According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office, a gate technician spotted two men who appeared to be deceased in the landing gear area. A law enforcement radio broadcast recorded the moment, noting that the individuals were identified as “Signal 7,” the code for deceased persons.

The Airbus A320 jet was in service nearly all day Monday, according to FlightAware data, first taking off from Kingston, Jamaica, at 1:10 a.m. It arrived in New York ahead of a 7:36 a.m. departure to Salt Lake City. The jet then flew back to JFK before concluding its day in Fort Lauderdale.

The airline has launched an investigation into how the individuals may have gained access to the plane and why they were in the landing gear compartment. The bodies, which were reportedly in a state of severe decomposition, were examined by the Broward County Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the causes of death.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith also addressed speculation about the nationalities of the deceased.

In a statement on social media platform X on Tuesday afternoon, Johnson Smith said, “While there is speculation regarding the nationalities of the persons found, our information to date is that this matter still remains unclear and there is no immediate basis on which to conclude that they are Jamaicans.”

“We, therefore, remain in contact with the relevant authorities and will update the public as soon as greater clarity and accuracy has been brought to bear on this tragic matter,” she stated.