Woman dies after childbirth in cut-off tribal village in Andhra’s ASR district; floods blocked road to health centre

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Lavanya, 28, of Chinna Gangavaram in G.K. Veedhi mandal of Andhra’s ASR district, who died a day after giving birth. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

A woman in a tribal village cut off by floods in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitharama Raju district died on Friday (September 25, 2026), a day after giving birth to a boy, because overflowing streams and a washed-away bridge kept her from a primary health centre about 6 km away, according to initial reports. The rain came with the deep depression that crossed the north Andhra coast on Thursday night.

Lavanya, of Gangavaram village in Darakonda panchayat in G.K. Veedhi mandal, went into labour on Thursday night and delivered a baby boy. She then fell unconscious and her condition deteriorated.

A tribal woman in Andhra's ASR district died a day after childbirth on Friday, reportedly because floods cut her village off from a health centre 6 km away. Villagers now cross the stream to Chinna Gangavaram on a rope.Video: Special Arrangement pic.twitter.com/3P2PpWAltD

Villagers tried to take her to the Darakonda Primary Health Centre (PHC) but could not, because several streams on the route were overflowing after the heavy rain. The PHC is about 6 km from Gangavaram by the Narsipatnam-Chintapalli-Sileru road, normal conditions, according to Google Maps. A bridge connecting the village to the plains had also been washed away, and the village was cut off.

They looked for other routes to take Lavanya to a health facility, but no vehicles were available because of the continuing heavy rain and the state of the roads.

Lavanya died on Friday. The newborn boy is reported to be safe.

Officials in the district had been warned. On Wednesday, Joint Collector T. Sripooja directed officials across the Agency mandals to identify in advance the places where streams and seasonal waterways were likely to overflow, set up control rooms in every mandal and keep the district control room informed on road connectivity and essential services. Roads in G.K. Veedhi mandal were already damaged or washed away that day, The Hindu reported. In the neighbouring Parvathipuram Manyam district, the Collector on Friday ordered about 158 pregnant women in flood-hit tribal areas to be moved to hospitals and health centres.

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