Sick teen dies as ambulance gets stuck in mud for hours in J&K's Rajouri

A 17-year-old girl from Methyani village in Rajouri district, Jammu and Kashmir, tragically lost her life while being taken to the Government Medical College Hospital due to an ambulance becoming stuck in mud for nearly three hours. The incident occurred on the Chak Methyani-Panglar-Kotecharwal road, which serves as the primary route to several remote villages in the region.

The girl had been suffering from an illness for nearly a month and was taken to the hospital on Friday. However, the vehicle transporting her became trapped in a mudslide near Chak Methyani, leaving her stuck for an extended period. Despite volunteers eventually freeing the ambulance, the girl's condition had deteriorated, resulting in her untimely death.

The district administration has suspended an engineer involved in the road construction project and initiated an inquiry into the matter. The Additional Deputy Commissioner found that the road was in extremely poor condition due to landslides and deep ditches, rendering it unfit for vehicular movement despite previous restoration efforts. The road had also been damaged by a mudslide last monsoon season, which was only temporarily fixed.

The district development commissioner has ordered the immediate suspension of the assistant executive engineer responsible for the road project until an inquiry is completed. The executive engineer has been warned that disciplinary action may be taken against him, with his salary withheld pending the outcome of the investigation.