Woman dies on way to hospital after getting stuck in traffic

Due to the ongoing festivities of the Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara, a 27-year-old tribal woman died on her way to the hospital after she was caught in a heavy traffic jam on the national highway in Jayashankar Bhupalapally district on Wednesday.

The nine-month pregnant woman, Segar Kalabaia from Hathgal village in Nirmal district came to Medaram four days ago to offer prayers to the deity but developed labour pains on Wednesday morning.

Upon examination at the medical camp at Medaram, she was shifted to the hospital at Eturunagaram town where she gave birth to a male child.

However, due to the delay in reaching the hospital, she suffered excessive bleeding and was made to shift to a bigger hospital.

With the ambulance getting caught in the traffic jam along the highway due to the heavy flow of vehicles due to Medaram jatara, she breathed her last in the vehicle at Jangalapalli village.

Traffic was held up on the national highway for almost 12 hours for about 50km between Tadwai and Mulug. It was only after senior officials’ intervention, the flow of vehicles was regulated and the road was cleared.

More than six million tribal and non-tribal pilgrims visited the four-day Sammakka-Saralamma Jatara on the first day on Wednesday.