An emergency medical trainee (EMT) was charred to death inside a 102 ambulance after it caught fire in Khurja area of Bulandshahr district on Monday evening, a senior health department official said.
The ambulance was on its way to pick up a pregnant woman from Kakod village of Bulandshahr when the mishap took place, said chief medical officer (CMO) of Bulandshahr Dr Vijay Kumar Singh.
The CMO has sought a report on the incident and fitness of the vehicle from the private company that manages operations of 102 ambulances in the state.
Singh said investigation is being carried out to find out under what circumstances the ambulance caught fire and was it fit to ply on road.
“We are investigating the incident from all angles. The 102 ambulances are run by a private firm on contract basis. They provide emergency transport service facilitates 24x7 free of cost service to pregnant women, newborn babies and their mothers. The firm also hires EMT and drivers,” said Dr Singh.
Singh said the incident occurred late Monday evening when emergency medical trainee 26-year-old Prashant (goes by one name), a resident of Etah, received a call from Kakod village from a pregnant woman.
{{/usCountry}}Singh said the incident occurred late Monday evening when emergency medical trainee 26-year-old Prashant (goes by one name), a resident of Etah, received a call from Kakod village from a pregnant woman.
{{/usCountry}}“Since the driver of the ambulance was unavailable at that time so Prashant himself drove the ambulance. However, the ambulance caught fire near Bhadaura village and it soon engulfed the entire vehicle,” he said.
The CMO said as per locals, the doors of ambulance got jammed and the EMT could not get out of the vehicle.
“By the time villagers informed police and a fire tender managed to douse the flames Prashant had died,” he said.
An EMT and a driver are appointed in every 102 ambulances. The work of an EMT is to provide initial treatment to the patient until they reach hospital.