In a tragic incident in Cuttack district, residents of Bishnupur village under Tigiria block carried two farmers, who were fatally burned after being struck by lightning, on their shoulders for nearly 8 kilometers on Sunday evening after the ambulance driver allegedly refused to transport them.
The Incident
The victims, Naba Kishore Rout and Mandardhar Pati, were struck by lightning while taking shelter in a hut near their agricultural field around 5 pm amid nor'wester rain. The hut caught fire, trapping them inside.
Villagers immediately called emergency services, including fire services and an ambulance. Despite the arrival of personnel, the ambulance driver allegedly declined to transport the injured farmers to Athagarh hospital, leaving the community with no option but to carry them on their shoulders to Tigiria Chak, the nearest healthcare facility.
Aftermath and Protest
From Tigiria Chak, they were taken to Athagarh hospital, where they were declared dead on arrival. Frustrated by the apathetic response, villagers staged a protest. A government officer later arrived and arranged a vehicle for postmortem, which was conducted on Monday.
Compensation and Investigation
Athagarh assistant collector Manas Ranjan Behera stated that an ex gratia of Rs 20,000 from the Red Cross fund has been provided to the next of kin of each deceased. Additionally, the government will provide Rs 4 lakh to each family as compensation for lightning-related deaths.
Behera assured that an investigation into the ambulance refusal is underway, and action will be taken against those found guilty.
