Flood-affected Bihar man dies after being ‘hit by air-dropped relief material’

An elderly man died in Bihar's flood-affected Saran district after allegedly being struck by relief material dropped from a helicopter, officials confirmed on Saturday. The unfortunate incident occurred on Friday afternoon near a relief camp in Parshurampur village, located within the jurisdiction of the Amnour police station. The deceased, Anil Kumar Singh, aged 58, was a resident of the same village.

Savindra Kumar Das, the Sub-Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) for Marhaura, stated that preliminary reports indicate that around 3:30 p.m. on Friday, a relief material packet dropped by a helicopter allegedly struck the man on his head, resulting in his death. The body has been transferred to a hospital for an autopsy, and further police investigation is underway.

The exact cause of death awaits the autopsy report, according to Das. Vimlesh Kumar, Station House Officer (SHO) for Amnour police station, also cited allegations from villagers that the man's death was caused by being hit by the relief packet. However, no visible injury marks were found on his head or other parts of his body. Kumar further mentioned that a similar incident involving a low-flying helicopter had caused a tin shed to collapse, resulting in a woman sustaining a minor injury on her leg. The woman has since been treated at a medical facility and is now recovering.