A 14-year-old girl in a rural Indian village has died after she was forced to sleep alone in a hut during Cyclone Gaja as the girl was menstruating.
A coconut tree fell on the girl’s hut, which made it impossible for her family to reach her. They survived the cyclone despite sheltering in a neighbouring hut.
Villagers say it is common practice to segregate menstruating girls, and the girl’s death is a “wake up call”.