No Bridge, No Ambulance: MP Woman Delivers Baby on Cot While Villagers Carry Her Across River

A video from Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara shows a pregnant woman giving birth while villagers carried her on a cot after an ambulance failed to reach her village. Both mother and baby are healthy, but the incident has sparked criticism.

Image Credit : X/Anurag Dwary (@Anurag_Dwary)

Woman Gives Birth on Cot as Ambulance Fails to Reach Remote Village

A heartbreaking incident from Madhya Pradesh's Chhindwara district has drawn nationwide attention after a pregnant woman gave birth while being carried on a cot across a river. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, raising fresh concerns about poor road connectivity and the lack of emergency healthcare in remote villages.

Image Credit : X/Anurag Dwary (@Anurag_Dwary)

Monsoon Cuts Off the Village

The incident took place in Lohri Mohalla of Hathoda Hiri village in Amarwara block, where several families remain cut off during the monsoon because there is no bridge across a rain-fed river.

छिंदवाड़ा के अमरवाड़ा के हथोड़ा में एक गर्भवती महिला तक न सड़क पहुंची, न पुल और न समय पर एम्बुलेंस। प्रसव के बाद हालत बिगड़ी तो ग्रामीणों ने महिला को खटिया पर लिटाकर नदी पार कराई, फिर बाइक से अस्पताल पहुंचाया pic.twitter.com/b0blrdysVT

— Anurag Dwary (@Anurag_Dwary) June 28, 2026

Image Credit : X/Anurag Dwary (@Anurag_Dwary)

Labour Pains Began Before Ambulance Could Arrive

According to the family, 35-year-old Savita Vishwakarma, wife of Shankar Vishwakarma, went into labour on Wednesday evening. Her relatives immediately contacted the 108 ambulance service, but the vehicle could not reach the hamlet because the swollen river had blocked the only access route.

With no other option, relatives and villagers placed Savita on a cot and started carrying her through the river on foot. During the difficult crossing, her labour pains became severe, and she delivered her baby while still lying on the cot.

In Hathoda village of Amrawada in #Chhindwara#MadhyaPradesh, a pregnant woman had no road access, no bridge, and no ambulance on time. When her condition worsened after delivery, villagers laid her on a charpoy and carried her across the river, then rushed her to the hospital on… pic.twitter.com/UHsKlHcOEz

— Siraj Noorani (@sirajnoorani) June 28, 2026

After reaching the other side of the river, the family waited for an ambulance, but none arrived. They eventually transported the mother and newborn on a motorcycle to Amarwara Civil Hospital.

Hospital officials later confirmed that both the mother and baby are healthy and receiving proper care.

Image Credit : X/Anurag Dwary (@Anurag_Dwary)

Villagers Say They Have Been Ignored for Years

Residents said the problem returns every monsoon because the village has no bridge or all-weather road. They claimed emergency services, including ambulances, cannot reach the area whenever the river is flooded.

Gopal Vishwakarma, the woman's brother-in-law, said villagers have repeatedly requested the construction of a bridge and proper road. According to him, complaints have been submitted to local authorities, including the Janpad Panchayat and SDM, but no permanent solution has been provided.

Pregnant woman gives birth on a cot while being carried through rough terrain to hospital in Chhindwara, MP — no road or bridge despite years of demands.
pic.twitter.com/TK00xz4QaA

— Kavita Kumari (@KavitaDevi5252) June 29, 2026

He also said schoolchildren are forced to cross the river daily during the rainy season, putting their safety at risk.

Image Credit : X/Anurag Dwary (@Anurag_Dwary)

Officials Respond

Health officials at Amarwara Civil Hospital said they did not immediately know why the ambulance failed to reach the patient. They explained that the 108 ambulance service is managed through a control room in Bhopal and said the matter would be examined.

Authorities have not announced any action regarding the demand for a bridge.

Viral Video Triggers Public Debate

The viral video sparked widespread reactions online. Many users praised the villagers for helping the woman reach medical care despite difficult conditions. Others questioned how such situations continue despite improvements in emergency healthcare services.

Several social media users criticised the lack of basic infrastructure, saying no woman should have to give birth while being carried across a river. Others called for immediate construction of a bridge and an all-weather road to ensure ambulances and other emergency services can reach the village throughout the year.