The family of an Indian man who died midair on a Qatar Airways flight this week said they are caught in a bureaucratic nightmare as they try to bring their relative’s body home.
Prem Prasad Tummala and his wife were flying from Washington, DC to Hyderabad, India via Doha on Aug. 15 when he suffered a massive heart attack and died.
The 75-year-old’s family is now struggling to piece together the exact procedures needed to get his mortal remains out of Hamad General Hospital’s mortuary.
In a statement released to Doha News, the family members asked for help in expediting the process:
“We have made several calls to the airlines but have not heard anything definitive.
The family members are in a lot of distress, especially since we recognize this as a case of natural death. Please expedite the process and help us.”
Their experience will likely spark questions about what to do in the event of such a mid-flight emergency.
Tummala, accompanied by his wife Aruna, boarded Qatar Airways flight QR708 from Washington Dulles International Airport on Aug. 14, after a six-month vacation visiting their children.
They were returning home to Hyderabad.
The couple was supposed to transit through Hamad International Airport (HIA) on Aug. 15 at 5pm.
But a few hours after takeoff from Dulles, Tummala passed away of what is thought to be a heart attack. Cabin crew could not revive him, according to a family member who spoke to Doha News.
His body was moved to a separate section of the plane and his wife was asked to remain in her seat.
On arrival at HIA, Aruna Tummala said that the airline told her to continue her journey to India, upgrading her to business class.
Qatar Airways, however, has told Doha News that it did give her the option to remain in Qatar if she wished to.
Qatar Airways policy states that “in the event of death of a passenger en route, the tickets of the persons accompanying the passenger may be modified by waiving the minimum stay or extending the validity.”
Tummala’s body was taken to the mortuary at Hamad General Hospital, where it remains for now.
A Qatar Airways spokesperson also confirmed to Doha News that the family was waiting on a clearance certificate from the MOI.
According to Mohammed Khola, a PRO for the Indian Embassy, the MOI must first receive a medical investigation report from the Police Clinic at Hamad General Hospital.
This has yet to happen.
19/08/16 Aparajitha Mukherjee/Doha News
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Prem Prasad Tummala and his wife were flying from Washington, DC to Hyderabad, India via Doha on Aug. 15 when he suffered a massive heart attack and died.
The 75-year-old’s family is now struggling to piece together the exact procedures needed to get his mortal remains out of Hamad General Hospital’s mortuary.
In a statement released to Doha News, the family members asked for help in expediting the process:
“We have made several calls to the airlines but have not heard anything definitive.
The family members are in a lot of distress, especially since we recognize this as a case of natural death. Please expedite the process and help us.”
Their experience will likely spark questions about what to do in the event of such a mid-flight emergency.
Tummala, accompanied by his wife Aruna, boarded Qatar Airways flight QR708 from Washington Dulles International Airport on Aug. 14, after a six-month vacation visiting their children.
They were returning home to Hyderabad.
The couple was supposed to transit through Hamad International Airport (HIA) on Aug. 15 at 5pm.
But a few hours after takeoff from Dulles, Tummala passed away of what is thought to be a heart attack. Cabin crew could not revive him, according to a family member who spoke to Doha News.
His body was moved to a separate section of the plane and his wife was asked to remain in her seat.
On arrival at HIA, Aruna Tummala said that the airline told her to continue her journey to India, upgrading her to business class.
Qatar Airways, however, has told Doha News that it did give her the option to remain in Qatar if she wished to.
Qatar Airways policy states that “in the event of death of a passenger en route, the tickets of the persons accompanying the passenger may be modified by waiving the minimum stay or extending the validity.”
Tummala’s body was taken to the mortuary at Hamad General Hospital, where it remains for now.
A Qatar Airways spokesperson also confirmed to Doha News that the family was waiting on a clearance certificate from the MOI.
According to Mohammed Khola, a PRO for the Indian Embassy, the MOI must first receive a medical investigation report from the Police Clinic at Hamad General Hospital.
This has yet to happen.
19/08/16 Aparajitha Mukherjee/Doha News
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