Couple Shocked After They're Forced to Sit Next to Dead Body on Flight

An Australian couple was shocked after they were forced to sit on an international flight next to a dead body.
Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were flying from Melbourne, Australia, to Doha, Qatar, when a passenger suffered a medical emergency.

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The flight crew was unable to resuscitate the woman and later moved her body next to Ring and Colin.
"Unfortunately the lady couldn't be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch," Ring told A Current Affair.

Flight attendants hoped to move the woman to a different section of the plane, but their efforts proved to be unsuccessful.
"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 shared.
"They said, 'Can you move over, please?' and I just said, 'Yes, no problem,'" he noted.

Ring and Colin were surprised they had to endure the lengthy flight next to a corpse.
"Then they placed the lady in the chair I was in," Ring shared. "I can't believe they told us to stay … it wasn't nice."

The airline did acknowledge the incident after Ring and Colin complained about their trip.
"First and foremost our thoughts are with the family of the passenger who sadly passed away on board our flight," a spokesperson for Qatar Airways said in a statement.

Despite how jarring the travel experience was, Qatar claimed they reached out to the pair.
"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 rep continued.

It's rare for passengers to pass away en route, but it has happened in the past. In 2023, a British Airways traveler went viral for saying they felt "traumatized" after watching someone take their last breath during their trip.

"We want to be as respectful as possible if that [death on board] actually happens," flight attendant Brieana Young told the New York Post in 2021.
"They are put in their seat, especially for landing to make sure they are secured in the aircraft, but what is interesting with that is when the aircraft does land, it is considered a crime scene," she continued.

Once at their destination, cops have to investigate the incident.
"So the police come on and assess the whole aircraft and the passengers. So if that [death on board] ever happens on your flight, expect to be there for a little while after you land," Young said.