[Latitude 28]

I had the exact same thing happen to the same compartment.  I could not snake a wire up there due to the frame being in the way.  I drilled the screw heads off of the four Phillips head machine screws that held the latching mechanism in place.  By fiddling with it that released the latch enough to actuate the cables.  Cover the area with aluminum tape to protect the paint and use a brand new bit when drilling.  I managed to slip off and nick the paint as you can see in the picture.  To reattach the latch I used some machine screws and self locking nuts.  Hope this helps.