Agra: Unborn baby dies after ambulance gets stuck in pothole for two hours

An unborn baby died in Agra’s Bah area after an ambulance carrying a 25-year-old woman in labour remained stuck in a large pothole for more than two hours. The incident took place in Gadhbar village during the early hours of September 3, with the family reaching a community health centre around 3:30 am. Doctors said the baby had died in the womb, while emergency treatment stabilised the mother, a TOI report stated.

Ambulance gets stuck on village road

The incident began around 1 am when Nidhi, wife of Pravendra Singh, went into active labour. Her family called an emergency ambulance, which reached the village soon after. The ambulance was travelling towards the hospital when it fell into a large pothole on the link road connecting the village with the main highway. The vehicle became stuck in the mud and could not move despite efforts by the driver.

Villagers then arranged a tractor to pull out the ambulance. It took nearly two hours to free the vehicle, delaying the woman's journey to the health centre. The family eventually reached the community health centre at around 3:30 am. Doctors confirmed that the baby had died in the womb, citing complications and the delay in reaching medical care. Emergency surgery was carried out to stabilise the mother.

Villagers had raised road concerns

Residents said the damaged road had already been reported to officials. Bhanu Pratap Singh, a local resident, said the Public Works Department had constructed and repaired the link road around six months earlier. According to him, heavy rainfall damaged a section of the road about a month ago, leaving a large pothole on the route.

“Villagers repeatedly approached the PWD junior engineer and demanded urgent repairs, but no action was taken,” Singh alleged. The road connects the village to the main highway and is used by residents travelling to nearby health facilities and other areas.

Residents seek action

The incident prompted residents to raise the road issue during the Sampoorna Samadhan Diwas, also known as Tehsil Diwas, held at Bah tehsil on Saturday. Residents demanded that authorities construct a durable cement concrete road and fix responsibility for the incident. They also sought immediate repairs to prevent similar problems for people travelling through the village.

SDM says road repair will be expedited

Bah Sub-Divisional Magistrate Vinod Kumar said officials had received a complaint regarding the road during the public hearing. “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.”