Indian Army rescues pregnant woman stuck in Jammu and Kashmir snow; she delivers twins in hospital

A pregnant woman stuck in heavy snowfall safely delivered twins, thanks to the Indian Army which came to her aid in the nick of time and shifted her to the hospital in north Kashmir’s Bandipore district.

On Friday, the company commander of Panar army camp of Bandipore received a call from a villager seeking help for evacuating his pregnant wife Gulshana Begum to the hospital, officials said Sunday.

The weather conditions were precarious as it was snowing heavily and the temperature was minus seven they said.

The snow had covered the roads, making it impossible for vehicular movement. Nevertheless, the lady needed to get to a hospital, they added.

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The men of the Bandipore Rashtriya Rifles braved heavy snow and zero road accessibility, reached the residence of the lady in no time and carried her on a stretcher for two and a half kilometres on foot in waist-deep snow, they said.

She was then taken to the district hospital, Bandipore, in an army ambulance, the officials said.

Understanding the need for timely coordination with every minute that counts, the Army had already tied up with civil authorities and arranged for doctors at the hospital, they said. After a check-up, it was conveyed that the lady was pregnant with twins and required a caesarean for which she was further rushed to Srinagar hospital, they added.

According to the officials, the woman safely delivered twin baby girls the same night.

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Normal life has come to a standstill as the Kashmir Valley has been receiving fresh snowfall since Thursday, while the plains of Jammu witnessed rains. Heavy spells were reported from the hills. Pahalgam and Gulmarg recorded minus 0.6 and minus 4 degrees, respectively.People were forced to stay indoors without electricity as road links were snapped at many places. Meanwhile, flight operations at the Srinagar airport were also reported to be disrupted due to heavy snowfall and poor visibility. 

(With agency inputs)