A pregnant woman died on the way from one hospital to another, as the ambulance carrying her ran out of fuel in Odisha's Mayurbhanj district, an official said on October 5.

The 23-year-old tribal woman who was in an advanced stage of pregnancy was admitted to a government hospital in Bangiriposi. However, the doctors there referred her to another hospital at Baripada on October 5 night as her condition has become critical, the sources said. "The ambulance stopped near Kuliana it ran out of fuel. We have to wait for more than an hour on the road till another vehicle could be arranged for the forward journey," said the husband of the deceased.

He said though an ASHA worker was accompanying his wife, she was also helpless in that situation. "Finally, another ambulance was arranged and she was taken to Baripada hospital. By the time we reached the hospital, my wife had died," Chittaranjan said. Chief District Medical Officer of Mayurbhanj, PK Mohapatra, admitted that the ambulance could not reach its destination because of insufficient fuel. The CDMO claimed that the ambulance had enough fuel when it started its journey to Baripada, but it ran out of fuel due to a breakge in the oil pipe. He said the matter will be enquired by the district authorities.