Days after undergoing treatment at Osmania General Hospital (OGH), Hyderabad, a tribal man who was injured in the forest fire in Amrabad reserve forest, in Nagarkurnool district, succumbed to injuries on Wednesday. He is the second person to die from the forest fire.
The deceased was identified as Yellaiah, he was one among four people who were injured in the forest fire that took place on March 7.
At that time at least 11 Chenchu tribals from Mallapur Penta, found themselves trapped in the forest when a fire broke out.
Two others, who were also severely injured, are still undergoing treatment at OGH, Hyderabad. Forests and Wildlife Protection Society (FAWPS) said that the latest death is the second Chenchu casualty from the same forest fire.
FAWPS further demanded that the Telangana government shift the two other tribal men to a corporate hospital and bear the expenses in order to provide better medical care.
FAWPS in a tweet said "This is the second Chenchu casualty from the same forest fire.We request @TelanganaCMO to shift the other 2 Chenchus to any corporate hospital and bear the charges."
Yellaiah,a chenchu injured in a forest fire in Amrabad Tiger Reserve,undergoing treatment at OGH died this morning.This is the second Chenchu casualty from same forest fire.We request @TelanganaCMO to shift the other 2 Chenchus to any corporate hospital and bear the charges. pic.twitter.com/xIyzQCKv61
— Forests And Wildlife Protection Society-FAWPS (@FawpsIndia) March 17, 2021
Nagarkurnool Amrabad Tiger reserve falls under the Nallamala forest, which is spread across five erstwhile districts of undivided Andhra Pradesh.
On March 14, it was Lingaiah who succumbed to injuries after he sustained 65% of burn injuries on his body. The tribal people were looking for honey, which is a source of livelihood for Chenchus in the region.
At the time, state Tribal Welfare Minister Satyavathi Rathod announced immediate financial assistance to the affected families. The government also promised that it would take care of the education and weddings of Lingaiah’s five children. Lingaiah’s family has received financial assistance of Rs 50,000 from the government.
The fire officials suspect that sparks used to smoke out bees from their hives might have caused dry leaves in the forest to catch fire.