Keonjhar: Mother carries deceased son after ambulance blocked by washed-away bridge

In the Keonjhar district of Odisha, a 13-year-old boy named Naresh died after accidentally drowning in a pond. Following the accident, his mother, Meena Mohanta, was forced to carry his body on her shoulders to reach medical assistance.

An ambulance called to the scene was unable to reach the village of Jhaliapada because a bridge over the Suakati nullah had been washed away by heavy rains. To bridge the gap, the mother carried the boy on her shoulders for a distance before family members used a cot to carry him approximately one kilometer to where the ambulance was waiting.

The boy was rushed to the Patana Community Health Centre, where doctors declared him dead. The incident has sparked local anger regarding inadequate infrastructure and the lack of reliable road connectivity in remote areas during the monsoon season. Local residents are demanding the construction of a new bridge and improved road paving. Police have registered an unnatural death case and launched an investigation.