An Australian couple have said they were forced to sit next to a dead body for four hours on a Qatar Airways flight.

Mitchell Ring and Jennifer Colin were travelling from Melbourne to Doha, enroute to Italy, when a woman walked out the toilet and collapsed near their row about 10 hours into the journey.

“Unfortunately, the lady couldn’t be saved, which was pretty heartbreaking to watch,” Mr Ring told Australia media.

He added: “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.”

The pair, who were the only ones in a row of four, said flight attendants put the woman in one of the spare seats for the remaining four hours of the flight.

“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 said there were a few spare seats nearby but claimed crew didn’t offer to move them.

Qatar Airways said in a statement: “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.”