Passengers were forcibly subjected to extensive body examinations after the discovery of a premature newborn abandoned in the toilets at the airport in the Qatari capital, Doha, according to press reports confirmed by AFP.
The women, whose number was not specified, were disembarked from planes and taken to ambulances where they underwent examinations to find out whether they had recently given birth.
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"
(Officials) were forcing women to undergo body exams mainly forced Papanicolaou tests (smears, note),
" a source in Doha told AFP on Sunday who was informed of an internal investigation into the incident.
The facts, reported by Australian television Seven News, occurred on October 2 and were revealed by Australian passengers.
The baby was dead when it was discovered, Seven News said, which was not confirmed by sources in Doha.
Due to the incident, one of the flights, Qatar Airways' QR908 to Sydney was four hours late, according to monitoring site Flight Radar 24. Women from other countries and other flights have underwent similar examinations, but the extent of the incident is not yet known.
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The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Seven News that it had "
officially communicated to the authorities
" in Qatar its "
serious concerns about the incident
".
He added that he had "
received assurances that detailed and transparent information on the event will soon be provided
" by Qatar.
An investigation is underway in Qatar, according to Seven News.
Qatar practices Islamic law which severely punishes women who become pregnant out of wedlock.
Asked Sunday, the company Qatar Airways did not comment.
