Munnar: A 36-year-old pregnant woman who was running away from a wild tusker was severely injured and had a miscarriage after she fell down.
Ambika (36) is under treatment at the Kottayam Medical College Hospital and continues to be critical.
Her seven-month-old foetus could not be saved apparently due to the delay in taking her to the hospital after the fall. She was taken to the hospital only 10 hours after the mishap on January 6.
Ambika who had gone to bathe in the river around 8 am saw a wild tusker on her way. As she ran to escape, she tripped and injured herself. Her relatives looked out for her as she didn’t return even after a long time. She was found lying along the banks of the river, bleeding and unconscious.
Ambika is a resident of Shedukudi in Idamalakkudy Panchayath of Kerala's Idukki district. The lack of ambulance service and damaged roads are blamed for the delay in shifting her to Munnar town from Idamalakkudy.
Dr Akhil Raveendran from Idamalkkudy Government Hospital gave her first aid and preliminary treatment. As there was no ambulance, she was taken to Pettimudi, which is 18 kilometres away, on a stretcher tied onto a jeep. From there, by 7 pm night, Ambika was shifted to the Tata Tea Hospital. Later, she was taken to Kottayam Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment in an ICU ambulance.
Asamohan is Ambika’s husband. The couple has three children.
