Qantas plane grounded after reported bedbug outbreak

Passengers traveling from Italy to Australia failed to arrive in Perth as planned over the weekend, after their flight was canceled due to a reported case of bedbugs.

Qantas, Australian's national airliner, was forced to cancel the flight scheduled for Saturday after passengers on an earlier incoming flight complained about being bitten onboard, according to CNN affiliate 9News.

The Australian news outlet reported that complaints were made by travelers who had been in the economy section of flight QF5 from Perth to Rome the previous day, October 9.

One of the passengers, Hailey Bagnall, told 9News: "(They were) crawling over our belongings, our clothing, our Qantas blankets, and they were even crawling along the window."

Qantas told CNN on Tuesday that it's still investigating the incident, saying in a statement: "We sincerely apologise to customers for the cancellation of Saturday's Rome to Perth service, which allowed our engineers and maintenance teams to carry out a deep clean of the aircraft after an issue identified on a small number of economy seats."

The airline said that cabins are regularly cleaned to a high standard.

Customers who had been due to fly on Saturday were provided with accommodation and rebooked on alternative flights, according to the airline.

Bedbugs are small, flat insects. Reddish-brown in color, they tend to bite people while sleeping and feed on their blood, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They can be found all over the world and in a variety of settings.

Bites appear similar to those from mosquitoes and can appear swollen and itchy, with symptoms getting worse if the person is allergic to bedbugs.

Contrary to what their name might suggest, they are not just found in beds. The CDC website states: "Bed bugs spread by getting into the seams and folds of luggage, overnight bags, folded clothes, bedding, furniture, and anywhere else they can hide. Most people do not realize they are transporting bed bugs and infecting areas as they travel. "

Bites do not usually require treatment beyond topical lotions. However, infested areas should be treated by pest control, the CDC says.