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Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin, an Australian couple, are speaking out, alleging they were forced to sit next to a dead body for hours after a woman passed away during a recent flight.
According to PEOPLE, Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin recently traveled from Melbourne, Australia, to Venice, Italy, via Qatar Airlines. During the flight, an unidentified woman reportedly “collapsed” onboard.
“[It] was pretty heartbreaking to watch. They went to try and move her… they brought this chair down… and 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 explained on a recent episode of ‘A Current Affair.‘
Per Ring, the staff then decided to place the woman in the vacant seat within his and Colin’s row.
“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,” he explained.
Per the New York Post, the staff reportedly covered the woman’s body with a blanket.
According to the pair, at that point, four hours were left in the remainder of the flight. Additionally, they alleged the crew instructed them to remain in their seats despite there being vacant seats available. Furthermore, when the plane landed, Ring says authorities did not keep the woman’s face covered, exposing her to him.
Lastly, the couple noted that the airline allegedly had not conducted them since the incident.
“There were a few spare seats I could see around us. I can’t believe they told us to stay it wasn’t nice,” Ring explained. “They have a duty of care towards their customers as well as their staff, we should be contacted… This has never happened to us before. I don’t really know how I feel and would like to speak to somebody to make sure I’m alright.”
Per PEOPLE, Qatar Airlines has issued a statement in response to the shocking incident.
“First and foremost, our thoughts are with the family of the passenger who sadly passed away on board our flight. 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,” the statement asserted.
Watch as the couple speaks out below.
The incident involving the Australian couple is shocking. However, it only adds to the long list of shocking headlines plaguing the aviation industry in recent months. As The Shade Room previously reported, earlier this month, a Delta plane flipped upside down while landing in Toronto, Canada.
Additionally, at least two people were confirmed deceased following a crash involving two planes at an Arizona airport.
