Twenty-six patients with COVID-19 were forced to cram into two private ambulances recently in southern India when the government vehicles failed to turn up.

Footage filmed at a village in the Madurai district of Tamil Nadu on May 24 showed the infected patients huddling together in the two vehicles with no possibility of observing social distancing.

According to local media, the infected villagers waited so long for the government transport to the hospital that they arranged their own ambulances.

The 26 patients were split into two groups with 13 forced to travel in each vehicle.

26 Covid positive patients huddled inside 2 private Ambulances as the Government ambulance didnt arrive even after hours in Madurai.

Atleast 50 people were tested positive in Ponnamangalam village and following that health department announced the entire village as containment zone.

Frustrated by the delay in the arrival of government ambulance to reach Covid care centre, they themselves arranged two private Ambulances through an NGO to transport 26 patients.

26 patients were split in to two groups and 13 patients made to sit in each ambulance to reach the Covid care centres.

This incident comes to light a day after the a patient was transported in a goods carrier to the hospital as the Ambulance was delayed in Madurai.