CHENNAI: A 28-year-old physically challenged pregnant woman who got labour pain while alone in the house died after giving birth to a boy near Kancheepuram on Monday.

The deceased was Selvi of Walajabad in Kancheepuram. Police said Selvi was speech impaired and was married to Ramesh of Kancheepuram. The couple used to work as wage workers. For the past 10 days, the couple and a few others had been staying in Tirupulivanam village in Uthiramerur, cutting down the trees and setting up tents.

As Selvi was pregnant, she did not go to work on Monday and stayed back in the tent alone. When Ramesh returned in the evening, he found Selvi lying dead but had birthed a boy. The workers immediately alerted the primary health centre, but the staff did not turn up until 11 am on Tuesday.

The medical staff took the baby to the health centre in an ambulance to give intensive care; the baby was reportedly in critical condition. After obtaining permission from the VAO, the villagers arranged a funeral for Selvi, who died during delivery.