As Cyclone Amphan Raged Odisha, Woman Gives Birth In Vehicle

KENDRAPARA: Amid the raging cyclone Amphan, a woman gave birth to a girl inside a fire service vehicle in Odisha's Kendrapara district on Wednesday. Both the mother and the newborn are healthy and have been shifted to Mahakalpada government-run community health centre in the district.

Janaki Sethi (20) was stranded in Jhanhara village in the district amid the cyclonic storm, Deputy Fire Officer P K Dash said. The woman went into labour midway through the journey and the fire service personnel assisted her as she gave birth to the child.

"We received an SOS from the distressed family around 8 am. As fire brigade personnel proceeded, they faced hurdle with 22 trees uprooted along the stretch leading to the village. Braving strong winds and squally weather, they cleared the road and ferried the woman in the service vehicle," he was quoted saying to a news agency.

As cyclone "Amphan" hurtled towards the coast, heavy downpour coupled with high velocity winds pounded coastal Odisha, uprooting trees and flattening fragile structures. Two other fatalities were reported in Odisha, including an infant crushed when the mud wall of the family’s hut collapsed in heavy rain.

More than 1.25 lakh people have so far been evacuated from low-lying coastal areas Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) P K Jena had said.

Also Read: Cyclone Amphan Kills 24 In India And Bangladesh, Kolkata Airport Water-logged