KASARGOD: Two more critically ill patients died in Kasargod on Monday after ambulances were denied access to Managluru by the Karnataka police at the Kerala-Karnataka border. The deceased have been identified as Kadambar native Kamala (56) and Panathoor native Krishna Gowda (71). As many as eleven people have lost their lives as a result of not receiving timely medical care due to the blockade.

According to sources, Kamala was being taken to a hospital in Mangaluru when the ambulance was asked to stop by the Karnataka police, Following this, she was rushed to a private hospital in Kasargod. However, soon succumbed to her ailments. It is learnt that Krishna Gowda also died in a similar manner.

Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had announced that the Kerala-Karnataka border near Mangaluru will be opened for patients visiting the hospitals in Mangaluru. "Those patients proceeding will have to carry with them all the medical certificates, which will be checked by the Karnataka medical team at the border. But our stand towards those patients coming from the border at Wayanad for both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka is very clear, all patients can come and today we had 29 such patients," he said.