An ambulance carrying a woman in labour became stranded on a damaged village road due to a massive pothole, resulting in the death of her unborn child in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra district.
An ambulance carrying a woman in labour became stranded on a damaged village road due to a massive pothole, resulting in the death of her unborn child in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra district. The incident unfolded in Gadhbar village in the Bah sub-division during the early hours of September 3. Around 1 am, 25-year-old Nidhi, wife of Pravendra Singh, went into active labour. Her family immediately called an emergency ambulance, which reached the village shortly afterwards.
The ambulance became trapped after plunging into a deep, waterlogged pothole on the village link road connecting it to the main highway. The vehicle was rendered immobile as its wheels spun helplessly in the mud despite repeated attempts by the driver to manoeuvre it out.
With the situation growing increasingly critical, villagers scrambled to arrange a tractor. They spent nearly two hours attempting to free the ambulance.
The family eventually reached a community health centre at around 3:30 am. Doctors confirmed that the baby had died in the womb, citing complications and the critical delay in reaching medical care. Emergency surgery was performed to stabilise the mother.
The tragedy has also raised questions on the condition of the road and allegations that repeated warnings from villagers were ignored.
Bhanu Pratap Singh, a local resident, said the Public Works Department (PWD) had constructed and repaired the link road barely six months earlier. However, heavy rains reportedly washed away a section of the road about a month ago, leaving behind a dangerous stretch riddled with hazards.
“Villagers repeatedly approached the PWD junior engineer and demanded urgent repairs, but no action was taken,” Singh alleged.
Anger over the incident intensified among residents, who raised the issue during the Sampoorna Samadhan Diwas (Tehsil Diwas) at Bah tehsil on Saturday. Villagers demanded the immediate construction of a durable cement concrete (CC) road, along with accountability for the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Responding to the residents’ concerns, Bah SDM Vinod Kumar told TOI on Sunday, “Yes, during the Sampoorn Samadhaan Diwas, I had received a demand regarding the road. The PWD road had been damaged due to soil erosion caused by heavy rainfall, which was creating difficulties. PWD officials concerned were present, and they were informed about the situation. They will get the work completed as soon as possible. We are also probing the incident.”