Mumbai: Ambulances arrive ill-equipped at Bhandup landslide site

Madhuri Sharma covered in mud after being rescued; (right) the Bhandup resident at Atharva hospital in Kandivli

During the Bhandup landslide rescue operation, the 108 ambulances that arrived were unprepared, lacking both a doctor and basic medical equipment. The ambulance dispatched after a disaster management call arrived without essential items such as an oxygen cylinder, blood pressure monitor, first aid kit, or even a functioning siren.

The landslide occurred in Bhandup's Hanuman Nagar area around 8.30 pm on Wednesday night amid heavy rains, causing a house wall to collapse due to falling rocks from a nearby mountain. Two children inside the house escaped safely, but their mother, Madhuri Sharma, 42, was trapped under the debris for about two and a half hours before being rescued.

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Mud and debris pile up inside the home of Madhuri Sharma

The fire brigade arrived nearly two hours after the incident due to heavy traffic, forcing fire officers to use auto rickshaws to reach the scene. Residents had been trying to remove the debris, but heavy rain caused it to accumulate further. Fire officers eventually broke a large stone to free Madhuri and carried her on a stretcher 100 metres to the waiting ambulance.

Caught unawares

Madhuri Sharma lived with her daughters, Nandani, 24 and Ritika, 18, her son, and her husband, Birendra Sharma, 45, a carpenter. On the night of the incident, Madhuri was fasting and preparing food for her children when she heard a loud noise and saw a crack in the wall. Her daughters ran outside, but Madhuri hesitated to grab her dupatta, causing the wall to collapse, trapping her from the waist down.

Local residents quickly gathered to help, removing debris to prevent further burial and calling the police and fire brigade. Madhuri's brother, Virendra Sharma, 35, an interior designer, was on a train when he received a distress call from his nieces.

Madhuri was rescued around 10.30 pm and taken to Agrawal Hospital in an ambulance that lacked basic first aid facilities. Despite the urgency, no doctor was onboard, and the ambulance was unequipped to provide emergency treatment. Madhuri fainted twice while trapped under the debris. Although a doctor later joined the ambulance after 3.5 kilometres, he lacked necessary equipment and could only inquire about her condition.

At Agrawal Hospital, the X-ray machine was not functioning. While a doctor examined Madhuri, her family sought to transfer her to a private hospital. Initially, the ambulance driver refused, but after complaints, Madhuri was taken to a Mulund hospital, which also refused to perform an X-ray without admission. She was finally transferred to Atharva hospital in Kandivli, where she was admitted, and treatment began around 3.50 am.

Doctor Speak

Dr Abdul Salam Khan, a friend of Madhuri's brother, said a group of doctors left their hospital for Bhandup and remained in contact with the family. "I am shocked at the lack of a doctor and basic medical supplies in the 108 ambulances," the doctor said. "After identifying these shortcomings, I contacted Sanjay Waghmare, the area manager of the 108-ambulance service, who initially denied the absence of a doctor but later apologised when presented with evidence, assuring such mistakes would not be repeated," the doctor added. Dr Ashish Yadav, district manager of the 108-ambulance service, responded to concerns about the lack of a doctor and essential equipment. "An inquiry will be conducted," he said.