Passengers were left drenched in perspiration and feeling faint after the Qatar Airways plane they were on was grounded in Athens, Greece for over three hours on Jun. 10 in the midst of a heatwave and air conditioning that was not working.

The flight was scheduled for Doha but a "technical issue" prevented it from takeoff.

Greece was experiencing a heatwave at that time that sent temperatures as high as 43°C.

Passengers were not able to disembark but it was not clear why that was so when the incident occurred.

Video of inside of plane

South African sports therapist Garth Collins shared several videos of the incident on social media.

He wrote:

"Passengers were left stranded on the plane for 3.5 hours with doors closed and no air con."

"Passengers were literally dehydrating and passing out on the plane."

“They were finally allowed off of the plane and are now sitting in a queue with no communication from the company as to what the situation is."

“Passengers have connecting flights out of Doha that will not be made."

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A post shared by Garth Collins (@granitebodies)

One woman, who was slumped in her seat with an oxygen mask on, was seen being helped by other passengers.

Another man was shirtless and his upper torso was glistening with perspiration.

The plane became so hot that some passengers had nose bleeds, while others used oxygen masks to breathe, and children cried, Bangkok Post reported.

Collins added: “Passengers were eventually given a cup of water and small soft drink, completely insufficient to rehydrate an individual after the enforced sauna on the plane.”

He also shared a clip of muay thai fighter Damian Collins covered in perspiration all over his body.

Collins said: “Damian is a fit, conditioned athlete," he said. "Imagine the stress and danger for any normal individual.”

Qatar Airways apologised

In the wake of the incident and media reports of it, Qatar Airways apologised.

"Qatar Airways sincerely apologises for the delay to passengers traveling on flight QR204 from Athens (ATH) to Doha (DOH) on Monday, Jun. 10, 2024, which was due to a technical issue," a spokesperson told Business Insider.

"We regard the safety and comfort of our passengers and crew as our highest priority at all times, and have offered our apologies to each passenger affected by this unforeseen disruption and the inconvenience caused."

"Additionally, passengers have been informed of their compensation entitlements in line with the applicable regulations."

Flight QR204's departure was eventually delayed by a day and arrived in Doha at 10:34am on Tuesday.

Top photos via @granitebodies Instagram & Qatar Airways Facebook