Australian couple made to sit next to body for hours after woman dies mid-flight

A married couple was forced to sit next to a dead body for roughly four hours after a woman died in the middle of an international flight.

Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were flying from Melbourne, Australia to Doha, Qatar, on Qatar Airways last week when a woman collapsed and died after exiting a restroom about 10 hours into the 14-hour trip, they told Australia’s Channel 9 earlier this week.

“They did everything they could, but unfortunately the lady couldn’t be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch,” Ring said.

According to the couple, the crew attempted to take the woman away in a wheelchair but were unable to get her through the aisle because of her size. Ring said the crew noticed that he and his wife were alone in a row of four seats, so they put the woman’s body – covered in blankets – in an empty seat near them for the remaining four hours of the flight.

“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.

The couple said they were not allowed to change seats and had to remain seated (along with all of the other passengers) after landing so that medical staff could tend to the dead woman.