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Passengers were forced to undergo extensive body examinations after the discovery of a premature newborn abandoned in the toilets of the airport in Doha, the capital of Qatar, according to depressing information confirmed by AFP.
The women, whose number was not specified, were disembarked from planes and transferred to ambulances where they were examined to see if they had recently given birth.
“(Officials) were forcing women to undergo physical examinations, mainly forced Pap tests,” a Doha source, who was briefed on an internal investigation into the incident, told AFP.
The incident, reported by Australian television station Seven News, took place on October 2 and was revealed by Australian passengers.
The boy was dead when he was discovered, Seven News said, which was not confirmed by sources in Doha.
Due to the incident, one of Qatar Airways’ QR908 flights to Sydney was four hours late, according to monitoring site Flight Radar 24.
Women from other countries and other flights have undergone similar examinations, but the extent of the incident is still unknown.
Australia’s Foreign and Trade Ministry told Seven News that it had “officially communicated to the Qatari authorities” its “serious concerns about the incident.”
He added that “he has received assurances that Qatar will soon provide detailed and transparent information on the event.”
An investigation is ongoing in Qatar, according to Seven News.
Qatar practices Islamic law that severely punishes women who become pregnant out of wedlock.
Qatar Airways had no comment on Sunday and was asked to do so.
