Among those on board were Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin, who found themselves in the midst of the harrowing experience. What was meant to be an ordinary journey quickly turned into a deeply unsettling ordeal, leaving them shaken, reported the nine.com.

The incident unfolded when a woman exited the bathroom and suddenly collapsed near their row. Despite the crew’s efforts to revive her, she could not be saved. “Unfortunately, the lady couldn’t be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch,” Ring said.

Corpse placed beside passengers

As the cabin crew struggled to move the deceased passenger, they attempted to take her to the business class section. However, they were unable to navigate the narrow aisle. With limited options, they decided to place the body in Ring and Colin’s row.

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“They 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 recalled.

According to the media outlet, despite the unsettling situation, the couple said they were not offered alternative seats. Instead, a passenger sitting behind them kindly offered Colin a spare seat after noticing her discomfort. “There were a few spare seats I could see around us,” Ring noted.

For the next four hours, Ring remained seated next to the deceased passenger. Even after landing, he was instructed to stay put while medical teams removed the blankets covering the body. “I can’t believe they told us to stay … it wasn’t nice,” he said.

The couple described the experience as deeply distressing, saying it overshadowed the excitement of their trip.

Airline responds

Qatar Airways stated that it is looking into the situation, according to media reports. Qantas, the airline through which the couple booked their flight, confirmed that it would communicate with them directly.

“Ms Colin booked tickets through Qantas and travelled with Qatar Airways, a fellow Oneworld Alliance carrier,” a Qantas spokesperson said.

“The process for handling incidents onboard an aircraft like this is managed by the operating airline, which in this case is Qatar Airways.”

In a statement, Qatar Airways acknowledged the incident and said it was in the process of reaching out to affected passengers.

“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.

It added, “We apologise 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.”

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