Flood Relief Delivery Turns Tragic in Bihar's Saran

A flood-hit resident in Bihar's Saran district died while waiting in line to collect relief material air-dropped from a helicopter.

Details of the Incident

The deceased man was identified as Anil Kumar Singh, also known as Appu Singh, from Parshurampur village. Local residents gave two different accounts of his death. Some villagers stated that he was injured when relief material fell on him, while others claimed he suffered a heart attack. Amnour SHO Vimlesh Kumar confirmed that the body had no external injury marks and was sent for post-mortem to determine the exact cause. During the same operation, another person was injured when the downdraft from the low-flying helicopter blew away nearby tin sheds and structures. The injured person received treatment at Amnour Hospital for non-severe injuries.

Relief Operations

The incident took place as the district administration expanded relief work following floods triggered by the Gandak River. Floods have affected over three lakh people across 170 villages in Saran. Authorities have set up 14 relief centres, 46 community kitchens, and deployed thousands of boats alongside forty-eight rescue teams from the NDRF and SDRF.

Context

Natural disasters like severe river floods often require emergency air-drop operations when rising waters cut off road access to remote villages. Authorities must balance the urgent need to deliver food quickly with the safety hazards posed by low-flying aircraft in crowded residential areas.