Man dies after relief packet dropped from helicopter hits him in Bihar
A 58-year-old man died in flood-hit Saran district after a relief packet dropped from an Indian Air Force helicopter struck him, police said. A woman and two children were also injured in a separate incident involving a helicopter relief drop. Authorities say thousands of food packets have been delivered to isolated communities.
A 58-year-old man died in Bihar’s flood-affected Saran district after a relief packet dropped from a helicopter struck him, police said on Saturday. The incident occurred on Friday near a relief camp in Parshurampur village, within the jurisdiction of Amnour police station. Police identified the man as Anil Kumar Singh.
His son, Avinash Pratap Singh, said one packet hit his father’s head and another struck his chest, killing him at the scene. Station House Officer Vimlesh Kumar confirmed the death but said the cause would be established after a postmortem examination. The incident occurred during an operation to airdrop food and dry rations to communities cut off by flooding.
In a separate incident, a woman and her two children were injured while standing on the roof of their home as a helicopter dropped relief packets nearby. The force generated by the aircraft blew away a tin shed, which struck the woman’s leg. The State government has sought assistance from Indian Air Force helicopters because flooding has submerged roads and isolated villages.
The Disaster Management Department said 3.2 lakh people in 170 villages across 33 panchayats in seven blocks of Saran district had been affected. The department said more than 28 tonnes of food supplies, consisting of over 5,600 dry-ration packets, had been dropped during 15 sorties in Saran. The operation was coordinated with the Union ministries of Home Affairs and Defence and was intended to reach areas where road transport was difficult.
The flooding followed heavy rain in Nepal’s catchment areas, which raised the level of the Gandak River. Six other districts were identified as affected: West Champaran, East Champaran, Gopalganj, Darbhanga, and Muzaffarpur, alongside Saran. Former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed concern about the flooding and said assistance should be provided to victims.
He said about 250 villages and more than three lakh people across six districts had been affected, according to the source material.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.