AN airline apologised last night for a mix-up over the body of a North-East student being flown home after a diving accident.

Bob and Rosemary Jennings spent almost two hours waiting to find out what had happened to daughter Deborah's coffin when it failed to arrive at Teesside Airport on Friday.

The 25-year-old, of Hutton Rudby, North Yorkshire, died during a diving trip on Fiji. The cause of death was an expansion of gas in the lungs, usually caused by coming to the surface too quickly.

Her body was flown to the US, where it was put on a British Airways flight bound for Heathrow, but airline staff failed to transfer the casket to a flight to Teesside.

Deborah's family had invited some friends to mark the moment when the internal flight touched down.

"We all sat and shed a few tears and thought 'well, she's home'," said Mrs Jennings, 55.

But the family's undertaker was told he could not collect the body as it had not been on the plane.

After more than an hour of phone calls, Deborah's body was found in storage at Heathrow.

"Nobody bothered to tell us she wasn't on the flight," said Mrs Jennings.

"The fact that nobody had the decency to pick up the phone, when someone somewhere made the decision not to put her body on that aircraft, is unbelievable.

"She was a really loving caring person and yet, in her death, she has received none of that back."

Deborah's body finally arrived home on Saturday and a second post-mortem examination was carried out yesterday, which ruled out foul play.

An inquest was due to be opened by the North Yorkshire coroner this morning.

Deborah's sister, Amanda, 27, said the family had been unable to start grieving because of the stress of getting her body home.

A British Airways spokesman said that the coffin carrying Deborah's body was not transferred in time for the flight to Teesside.

He said: "We are extremely sorry for the delay in transporting Deborah's body from our arriving Los Angeles flight to the onward British Midland service to Teesside. British Airways has launched a full internal investigation."

Deborah's funeral will be held at 1pm on Saturday, at All Saints' Church, Hutton Rudby