Kandhamal, Odisha: In a gut-wrenching tragedy that lays bare the cost of infrastructure neglect, a teenage girl was forced to carry her snake-bitten mother on her back for five kilometres through a dense forest in Odisha's Kandhamal district—only to watch her die due to delayed medical care.

The heartbreaking incident took place in Dumeripada village, nestled deep within the tribal belt of the Mundigada panchayat under Tumudibandh block. On Friday night, Balamadu Majhi was bitten by a snake while sleeping in her hut. Her family immediately called the 108 emergency ambulance service. However, the vehicle, unable to navigate the rough terrain and lack of motorable roads, could only reach as far as Saramundi—eight kilometres from their home.

With time slipping away and no other options, her daughter, Rajani Majhi, carried her unconscious mother on her back and walked five kilometres through a jungle trail. Exhausted but desperate, she then borrowed a motorcycle to ride the remaining three kilometres to where the ambulance was waiting.

By the time they reached the health centre in Tumudibandh, her mother's condition had deteriorated. She was then referred to the Baliguda Sub-Divisional Hospital (SDH), where doctors declared her dead.

Rajani, the eldest of four siblings, is now left to care for her three younger brothers, orphans in a village where tragedy has struck before. The family revealed that they had lost their father in a similar situation years ago, again due to the absence of timely medical help.

After the post-mortem, the family carried Balamadu’s body back home on a cot, just as they had carried her in life.

The incident has sparked deep outrage among tribal communities and local leaders, who are demanding immediate attention to road and healthcare infrastructure in these forgotten regions of Odisha. As the forest paths of Kandhamal echo with grief, one young girl’s courage and heartbreak now stand as a haunting symbol of systemic failure.