Women forced off plane to take test after baby found in Qatar airport

This article is more than 12 months old

Oct 27, 2020 06:00 am

SYDNEY: An incident at Doha's Hamad airport, where Australian women were taken off a plane and subjected to an invasive search after the discovery of a newborn baby abandoned in the terminal, has been referred to Australian federal police, Australia said.

Thirteen Australians were among the women on the flight run by state-owned Qatar Airways who were forced to undergo a medical examination in an ambulance after the newborn was found in an airport bathroom, television network Seven News said.

All adult women on the flight, regardless of age, were made to disembark for the examination, two of the women told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Yesterday, Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne said: "This is a grossly disturbing, offensive, concerning set of events. It is not something I have ever heard of occurring in my life, in any context. We have made our views very clear to the Qatari authorities." - REUTERS