Minor Girl Who Set On 150-Km Journey From Telangana To Chhattisgarh Dies

HYDERABAD: In a disheartening incident, a 12-year-old girl working in Telangana who set off on a 150-km journey on foot for her home in Chhattisgarh collapsed and died just 50 km away from her home.

The girl and a group of people who work in chili fields in Kannaiguda village in Telangana, started walking on April 15 and she died near Bhandarpal village in Bijapur on the morning of April 18 due to electrolyte imbalance and exhaustion, a news agency reported.

"The distance between the place in Telangana where she worked and Bijapur is 150 kilometres and she died some 50 kilometers away from her native village here. She had a meal on Saturday morning but then complained of stomach ache and uneasiness and died around 10am," said Bijapur Chief Medical and Health Officer BR Pujari.

Her samples taken for COVID-19 tested negative.

"Her samples were sent for coronavirus testing on Saturday and the report returned negative on Sunday evening. Prima facie, it seems she died of electrolyte imbalance," Pujari added.

The girl was the only child of her parents who earn a living by collecting forest produce, a leading daily reported. The girl's father said that she suffered from stomach ache and vomiting, while adding that this was the first time that she went out for work.

The Chhattisgarh government has announced a compensation of Rs 1 lakh for the kin of the girl.

The medical officer also said that people who accompanied her said that the minor had had not eaten well which may have caused muscle fatigue. The viscera had been preserved for further medical investigation, he added.

Amid the nationwide lockdown, several migrants and daily wage workers stranded in multiple states, with little or no food or money, have set out for their home often on foot. The state governments have set up relief camps and have barred inter-state travel.

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