Passengers Told to Urinate ‘In Bottles’ After All Toilets Stop Working on Virgin Australia Flight: Reports

Passengers on a recent Virgin Australia flight heading from Bali to Brisbane were allegedly told to urinate “in bottles” after all the toilets stopped working onboard, according to reports.

On Thursday, Aug. 28, Flight VA50 departed from Denpasar International Airport with only two functioning toilets, per 7News. A rear toilet was already out of service, but the flight was not canceled due to limited engineering support in the city, the airline confirmed in an email to PEOPLE.

During the around six-hour flight, the remaining toilets on the Boeing 737 also malfunctioned and could not be used, 7News reported.

A Virgin Australia spokesperson said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE that a “flight from Denpasar to Brisbane on Thursday evening [had] experienced an issue during the flight which affected the serviceability of the lavatories.”

“We sincerely [apologize] to our guests and thank our crew for managing a challenging situation on board,” the statement added.

“We will be crediting guests for the Denpasar to Brisbane flight and we are proactively reaching out to them to provide this update,” the airline concluded.

The airline added in the email to PEOPLE that all toilets were out of service during the last one hour and 40 minutes of the flight. The airline also confirmed that the cause of the issue is being investigated.

A passenger onboard said the incident was “beyond unacceptable,” according to The Australian.

The man, who didn’t want to be named, said the second rear toilet became unusable shortly after takeoff, so passengers ended up having to wait in line for around 40 minutes to use the single bathroom at the front of the aircraft, per the outlet.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories

“One elderly woman was unable to hold on and suffered the humiliation of wetting herself in public,” he told the newspaper.

“Midway through the flight, every toilet failed. For the remaining three hours, the cabin crew informed us we would need to relieve ourselves in bottles or ‘on top of whatever was already in the toilet,'” the passenger added.

Children were crying, elderly passengers distressed, and many [travelers] visibly upset at the lack of dignity and sanitation,” the man told the newspaper.

“This is not a minor issue. It is a fundamental failure of duty of care. Hygiene and sanitation are not optional luxuries, they are basic human rights,” he added.

“For passengers to be forced to sit in a confined space for hours surrounded by overflowing toilets and human waste is a public health risk, a safety concern, and an absolute disgrace,” the man continued, per the outlet.

The passenger in question told the newspaper that he was seated in business class, and was offered the use of a sink to urinate in when he declined to use a bottle.

“This is a huge hygiene issue as people wash their hands in the sink,” he told the outlet.

A passenger named Aaron said of the incident, per the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), “Toilets quickly clogged and overflowed with human waste, urine, and used toilet paper. The stench spread through the aircraft, seeping onto the floor.”

National Assistant Secretary of the Transport Workers’ Union (TWU), Emily McMillan, said the incident was a “severe hazard” to both crew and passengers, according to the ABC. The TWU has reached out to the airline.

“Across the board aviation workers are dealing with increasing risks to their health and safety at work, with an industry-wide trend towards profits over performance,” McMillan said, per the outlet.

The TWU didn’t immediately respond when contacted by PEOPLE for comment.