Migrant worker walks, hitch-hikes over 1500 kms from Mumbai to UP, dies after reaching hometown

A migrant worker who walked and hitch-hiked over 1,500 kilometres from Mumbai to his native place in Uttar Pradesh died of exhaustion on Tuesday, just when he reached hometown Khalilabad here, officials said.

Ram Kripal, 65, who worked as a daily wage labourer in Mumbai, had set off for home on foot after he was stranded at his workplace due to the coronavirus-induced lockdown, they said.

District Magistrate Ravish Kumar Gupta said Kripal fell down near the hospital gate while he was being taken for a medical check-up under police supervision after he reached Khalilabad.

By the time doctors examined him, he had breathed his last, Gupta said.

His samples were sent for investigation and the body was sent for post-mortem, he said.

Meanwhile, a labourer from Dhanghta village, who had come from Mumbai, tested positive for coronavirus, Gupta said.

There are now 17 active COVID-19 cases in the district, he said.