An emergency ambulance carrying a woman in active labour in Uttar Pradesh's Agra got stuck in a large pothole on a damaged road, delaying her journey to the hospital and reportedly resulting in the death of her unborn baby.
According to reports, a 25-year-old Nidhi went into active labour in the early hours of September 3. Her family immediately called a government emergency ambulance to take her to a Community Health Centre.
However, the ambulance reportedly plunged into a large pothole on the rain-damaged village link road and became completely immobilised. With the vehicle unable to move, local villagers stepped in to help. The reports said villagers tied the ambulance to a tractor and pulled it out, a process that took nearly two hours.
The family eventually reached the Community Health Centre at around 3:30 a.m. Doctors reportedly determined that the baby had died in the womb. The reports said complications had been aggravated by the delay in reaching medical care. Doctors subsequently performed emergency surgery to stabilise Nidhi.
The incident has sparked anger among residents, who reportedly said the road had been repaired only six months earlier but was badly damaged following recent heavy rains. Villagers also alleged that repeated complaints about the deteriorating road had been made to the authorities, but no timely action was taken.
Following the incident, the health department and local administration reportedly ordered an official probe into the circumstances surrounding the death. The Public Works Department (PWD) has also been directed to expedite repairs to the damaged road.
