Bhawanipatna: Two persons including a woman patient and a helper were killed after an ambulance ferrying them to the district headquarters hospital here hit a tree on the roadside near Mahichala mandi under Junagarh police limits in Kalahandi district, late Sunday night. The deceased were identified as Sumitra Durga, 50, of Kapurmal village under Jaipatna block and the helper of the ambulance, Dambarudhar Sabar, 25, of Pandigaon village under Kalampur block of the district. The two were rushed to the Junagarh hospital where doctors pronounced Sumitra dead. Dambarudhar was shifted to the district headquarters hospital but he succumbed to his injuries during treatment.
According to reports, the 108 ambulance van was carrying Sumitra who was suffering from diarrhoea to the district headquarters hospital from the Jaipatna health centre The mishap occurred after the driver of the ill-fated ambulance lost control over the wheels. As a result, the vehicle crashed against a roadside tree leaving the patient and the helper dead. Three family members of the patient, who were also in the ambulance sustained injuries in the accident.