Telangana: 21-year old migrant worker from Odisha dies of dehydration, hunger pangs

Hyderabad: A 21-year-old tribal migrant worker from Odisha, who had been working as a construction labourer in Hyderabad, died of dehydration and pangs of hunger at the temple town of Bhadrachalam in Telangana’s Bhadradri-Kothagudem district on Tuesday morning.

He had walked over 300 kilometres in four days amid the lockdown restrictions, which were imposed since March 25 to contain the spread of raging coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak, on his way back to his native village in Odisha’s Malkangiri district.

The deceased, identified as Kasa Madakami from Malkangiri district’s Pandripani village, was going back home along with his three friends, a district official said.

Bhadrachalam tehsildar Seshagiri Rao said Madakami died on Tuesday morning, despite braving the scorching summer heat for four days.

“He had died due to severe dehydration that was aggravated by the sunstroke and pangs of hunger. His friends had always shifted his body by an ambulance with the help of local villagers even before we got the information,” he said.

Bhadrachalam inspector of police K Vinod Reddy said no case had been registered, as doctors said it was a natural death.

“The four youth had reached Bhadrachalam on Monday night and had slept on a pavement. One of his friends told us that Madakami had vomited at night and also complained of exhaustion. He didn’t wake up from his sleep the next morning. He was taken to a hospital at Bhadrachalam, where doctors declared him brought dead,” K Satyanarayana, a local resident, said.

“The four youth had not eaten anything since Monday morning, as no eateries are open because of the prevailing lockdown restrictions,”he added.