Qatar Airways has apologised to a married Australian couple who were reportedly forced to sit beside the body of a passenger who died during their recent flight.

In a statement shared to NBC News following the tragic incident, the airlines said:

“First and foremost our thoughts are with the family of the passenger who sadly passed away on board our flight.

“We apologise 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.“

According to reports, the tragedy occurred on Sunday after a female passenger is said to have collapsed after returning from the lavatory during their flight to Venice, Italy. it’s understood that the woman’s body was placed beside the couple after the crew failed in their attempts to move the body to business class due to her size.

Accordng to BBC, a spokesperson for Aussie plane company Qantas said: “The process for handling incidents onboard an aircraft like this is managed by the operating airline, which in this case is Qatar Airways.”

It remains unknown if the company was able to make contact with the couple directly following the incident or if any further recourse will be sought or offered at the time of reporting.