Venice: An Australian couple’s leisure trip to Venice turned into a nightmare when they were unexpectedly forced to share their seat with a dead body during a Qatar Airways flight. Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin, who were aboard the flight, shared their traumatic experience in an interview with news.com.au after a woman aboard the plane suddenly collapsed and died mid-flight.

According to reports, the woman collapsed in the aisle and despite the crew's best efforts to revive her, she could not be saved. "Unfortunately, the lady couldn't be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch," Mr. Ring said.

After the death, the crew moved swiftly to find an appropriate place for the body. Noticing empty seats next to the couple, the crew asked them to move to make space for the deceased. "They looked a bit frustrated and then they just looked at me and saw seats were available beside me - my wife was on the other side, we're in a row of four by ourselves - and they just said to me, 'Can you move over, please?'" Mr. Ring recalled.

A blanket-covered body was then placed in the vacant seat next to them, leaving the couple horrified and unsettled. Ms. Colin, a self-admitted nervous flyer, said, "When my husband turned around and said, 'move, move,' I was pretty shocked and I said, 'are they going to put her there?'" The couple was then forced to endure the next four hours of the flight with the body beside them.

Things worsened after the flight landed, as police and medical officers boarded the plane, causing further delays. The couple, visibly distressed, claimed there were other available seats on the plane, but the crew did not offer to relocate them.

Following the incident, Qatar Airways issued an apology, acknowledging the distress caused to the passengers. Qantas, through which the couple had booked the flight, also expressed their regret, stating that they would be reaching out to the couple.