A couple flying from Melbourne, Australia to Doha, Qatar were forced to sit next to a deceased woman’s corpse after she passed away on the 15-hour trek.
The couple, Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin, spoke to “A Current Affair” about what happened.
Reportedly, the woman suffered a medical emergency mid-flight in the aisle. She was unable to be saved and passed away.
Ring told “A Current Affair” that the scene was “heartbreaking to watch.”
“They tried to wheel her up towards business class, but she was quite a large lady and they couldn't get her through the aisle,” Ring added.
Ring and his wife were in a row of four seats.
"They [the flight crew] looked a bit frustrated, then they just looked at me and saw seats were available beside me, my wife was on the other side, we were in a row of four.
"They said, 'Can you move over please?' and I just said, 'Yes no problem'...Then they placed the lady in the chair I was in,” Ring explained.
Reportedly, the cabin crew did not offer Ring and Colin different seats to move to.
"There were a few spare seats I could see around us," Ring said.
Instead, Ring and Colin were forced to sit next to the deceased woman for hours.
Colin snapped a photo of the scene.
Passengers forced to sit next to woman’s body for hours after she drops dead on 15-hour flight https://t.co/8aiFZo8f9x pic.twitter.com/AnZAQTPLUf
— New York Post (@nypost) February 25, 2025
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When the plane landed, Ring and Colin were reportedly told to remain in their seats next to the deceased woman until paramedics boarded the plane to remove her. Ring and Colin were on their way to Italy after they landed in Qatar.
"I can't believe they told us to stay … it wasn't nice," Ring said in the interview.
Qatar Airways sent a statement about the ordeal to news outlets.
“First and foremost our thoughts are with the family of the passenger who sadly passed away on board our flight,” a Qatar Airways spokesperson said in a statement.
“We apologize for any inconvenience or distress this incident may have caused, and are in the process of contacting passengers in line with our policies and procedures,” they added.
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