Maharashtra: 22 bodies of Covid victims stuffed into one ambulance

An incident wherein 22 bodies of Covid victims being stuffed into an ambulance and taken for cremation has drawn flak from several corners. The incident took place at the Swami Ramanand Tirth Rural Govt. Medical College.

Ambajogai (Maharashtra): The bodies of 22 COVID-19 victims were stuffed in one ambulance while being taken to a crematorium at Ambajogai in Beed district in Maharashtra, with the district administration citing lack of medical transport vehicles as the reason for it.

The incident took place on Sunday when the bodies, kept in the mortuary of the Swami Ramanand Teerth Rural Government Medical College at Ambajogai were being
transported for the last rites.

"This might have happened in an emergency situation as the hospital has just two ambulances," the medical college's Dean, Dr Shivaji Sukre, told ETV Bharat.

He said they had five ambulances during the first wave of COVID-19 last year. Out of them, three were later withdrawn and the hospital was now managing the transportation of COVID-19 patients in two ambulances.

He said they wrote to the district administration on March 17 requesting additional ambulances.

with agency inputs