12-year-old girl dies after walking 150-km on foot to home in Telangana amid COVID-19 lockdown

A 12-year-old girl died while making a 150-kilometre trip on foot from a village in Telangana to her native Bijapur district in Chhattisgarh, officials confirmed on Monday. Jamlo Makdam, who worked in chilly fields to earn for her family, collapsed and died just an hour away from her village. She had set out on the long journey on April 15, along with 11 others who worked with her on the chilly fields at a village in Telangana. The group had walked for three days, cutting through forests and avoiding the highway.

Jamlo was around 14 km from home when an excruciating pain in her stomach stopped her on Saturday afternoon. Finally, her body was taken to her home in an ambulance. Doctors say she was severely dehydrated and malnourished. "Her coronavirus tests came out negative. She may have suffered electrolyte imbalance in her body too," said BR Pujari, senior district medical officer. The state government has announced Rs 1 lakh compensation for the girl's family. 

The girl's father, Andoram Madkam, said she had been working in Telangana for two months. "She had walked for three days. She suffered from vomiting and stomach ache," he said. Some members of the group said she had not been eating well. Thousands of migrant workers, stuck far from home during the lockdown and left without jobs and shelter, have attempted long journeys on foot out of despair.