A 58-year-old flood-displaced man died in Bihar’s Saran district on Friday after he was allegedly struck by relief material dropped from an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter, while a woman and two children were injured in a separate incident during the same aerial relief operation, officials said.
The incidents took place in Parshurampur village in Bihar’s Saran district, where thousands of flood-hit residents have been forced to leave their homes and take shelter on embankments.
District magistrate of Saran Vaibhava Srivastava said the deceased was identified as Anil Kumar Singh alias Appu Singh, a resident of Parshurampur village. “Initial monetary help to the victim’s family has been given for last rite and other formalities,” the DM said, adding that the circumstances under which the victim died are being verified.
Villagers, forced onto embankments by the rising waters of the Gandak river, had gathered near a relief camp to receive dry ration packets. Family members said Singh had finished lunch and was outside when the helicopter made a low-altitude drop. One packet reportedly hit his head, followed by another landing on his chest. He collapsed and was declared dead at the scene. The packets reportedly weighed around 5 kg each.
The villagers have given conflicting versions of the incident to the police, a police officer, requesting anonymity, said. “Some insisted the packets hit Singh directly; others suggested he may have suffered a heart attack as material landed nearby,” the officer said.
{{/usCountry}}The villagers have given conflicting versions of the incident to the police, a police officer, requesting anonymity, said. “Some insisted the packets hit Singh directly; others suggested he may have suffered a heart attack as material landed nearby,” the officer said.
{{/usCountry}}Amnour station house officer Vimlesh Kumar said the body showed no visible external injury marks.
The body was sent to Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination, which authorities said would determine the precise cause of death. A case has been registered and an investigation is under way.
Meanwhile, the woman was identified as Vimla Devi or Rambha Devi, aged around 45, and was hit when the helicopter’s downdraft reportedly blew debris or structural elements towards her, inmates of the relief camp said. She sustained a fracture, while the children received minor injuries. They were standing on the roof when the chopper flew at a lower altitude. They were treated at a local health centre.
The tragedy unfolded against a severe flood emergency. Embankment breaches along the Gandak have inundated large parts of Saran. Officials reported roughly 170 villages across 33 panchayats in six blocks affected, impacting an estimated 3.32 lakh people and more than 75,000 families.
Thousands remain displaced on embankments and higher ground. Aerial drops of dry ration packets were intensified after the district administration sought additional supplies, with the Chief Minister’s Office directing the use of IAF helicopters, including aircraft staged from the Gorakhpur side.
More than 3,000 packets had already been air-dropped by the time of the incident, with further drops planned. Ground efforts continue in parallel: multiple NDRF and SDRF teams are operating in the district, and tens of thousands of additional ration packets and polythene sheets are being moved in from neighbouring districts.