A 35-year-old woman gave birth while being carried on a cot across a river in Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district after an ambulance failed to reach her rain-isolated village, highlighting persistent gaps in rural connectivity and emergency healthcare.
The incident occurred in Lohri Mohalla of Hathoda Hiri village in Amarwara block, where around 20 families are cut off during the monsoon as a rain-fed river severs the only approach road. A video showing villagers carrying the woman across the river on a cot surfaced on Sunday and drew widespread attention on social media.
According to her family, Savita Vishwakarma, wife of Shankar Vishwakarma, went into labour on Wednesday evening. Her relatives contacted the 108 ambulance service, but the vehicle could not reach the hamlet because of the swollen river.
With no alternative, family members and villagers placed her on a cot and began carrying her across the river on foot. During the crossing, her labour pains intensified and she delivered the baby before reaching the other side.
After crossing the river, the family waited for an ambulance, but when none arrived, they transported the mother and newborn to Amarwara Civil Hospital on a motorcycle.
Hospital authorities said both the mother and the baby are in good health.
Gopal Vishwakarma, the woman's brother-in-law, said the settlement remains inaccessible every monsoon because vehicles cannot cross the river.
