ALERT A body discovered in cargo hold of a MD-11 refuelling in Zimbabwe

A body discovered by horrified ground staff who noticed blood dripping from a plane which was carrying suitcases of cash may have been a stowaway from a previous flight, it has been claimed.

The plane, owned by Florida-based Western Global Airlines, is understood to have been transporting large sums of cash from Munich in Germany via Belgium and Nigeria and was bound for the seaside town of Durban in South Africa when it stopped in Harare for refuelling.

But as ground staff inspected the plane, they noticed blood dripping onto the runway – something the crew originally dismissed as the result of hitting a bird, one source said.