X-ray check reveals dead baby in bag

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The airport authority in Palu briefly detained a couple who were attempting to fly their dead baby from Mutiara airport to the South Sulawesi capital, Makassar, for burial.

The snafu occurred on Thursday as couple A. Muh Harun, 34, and his wife A. Mariam, 29, were about to fly to Makassar from Palu.

As they went through the regular x-ray check for their luggage, airport officials discovered the remains of a dead, 8- month-old baby in a carry-on bag belonging to Harun.

Surprised by the discovery, airport officials then took them to their office for questioning, Antara news agency reported on Friday.

In the questioning, Harun explained to both the airport authority and the police that the 8-month-old baby had already died at the hospital on Thursday morning from dengue fever.

Harun said that they had had no time to buy a coffin, because they had to rush to take their baby back to Makassar for burial.

Harun showed them a death certificate signed by a doctor, which verified that the baby had died of a dengue fever.

After listening to Harun's explanation, the officials were satisfied that he had told them the truth, so they let the couple go on their way.

The questioning forced the couple to miss their flight, so they opted to travel to Makassar by rented car.

Makassar is located some 450 kilometers south of Palu.