Four premature babies born to a woman inside an autorickshaw in Madhya Pradesh's Mandla district died shortly after birth on Tuesday, with the family alleging that the absence of an ambulance cost the newborns their lives.
Rajni Singaram, a resident of Naigaon village, went into labour in the seventh month of her pregnancy and was initially taken to the government health centre in Ghuthas in a private vehicle, officials said.
District Chief Medical and Health Officer (CMHO) Dr D J Mohanty said that owing to her critical condition, she was referred to the Community Health Centre in Bichhiya and was being shifted in an autorickshaw.
Before reaching the hospital, she delivered quadruplets inside the vehicle.
"All four babies, three girls and a boy, died because they were premature and weighed around 1.5 kilograms each," Mohanty said.
He said the woman has been admitted to the Bichhiya Community Health Centre and is out of danger.
The woman's family alleged that they had called the emergency ambulance service after she went into labour, but when no vehicle arrived, they were forced to transport her in an autorickshaw.
Her husband, Ganesh Singaram, claimed that if an ambulance had been available on time, his children could have been saved.
Responding to the allegation, Mandla District Magistrate Rahul Namdev Dhote told PTI that he has not received any complaint so far in this connection.
"If a complaint is received, the matter will be investigated and necessary action will be taken," he added.
(With inputs from PTI)