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An Australian couple, Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin, experienced a distressing ordeal when they were asked to sit next to a deceased passenger for four hours on a Qatar Airways flight from Melbourne to Venice. The incident occurred when a woman collapsed and died mid-flight, according to PEOPLE.
The flight crew attempted to move the woman's body to the business class section but were unable to navigate the narrow aisle. As a result, they placed the body in a vacant seat next to Ring and Colin, asking them to remain in their seats for the remainder of the flight.
"I can't believe they told us to stay … it wasn't nice," Ring said during an interview on Australian news program A Current Affair.
Despite the unsettling situation, the couple was not offered alternative seating, although a passenger behind them offered Colin a spare seat. Upon landing, they were instructed to stay seated while first responders removed the body. Qatar Airways has apologized for the incident and is in the process of contacting affected passengers.