A tragic accident in Beed, Maharashtra, resulted in the deaths of two men after an excavator struck them during well excavation work, leading to protests and a police investigation.
Two people were killed after a heavy Poclain machine accidentally struck them, causing them to fall into a well during excavation work in a village in Beed district of central Maharashtra, police said on Monday.
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon at Pangri village under Georai tehsil while excavation work of a well was in progress.
The deceased were identified by police as Ganesh Jagtap (34) and his friend Bharat Rathod (35), residents of different villages under Georai tehsil.
According to police, the two went to see the excavation work and were standing near the edge of the well when the moving arm of an excavator (a Poclain machine) accidentally struck them, causing both to plunge into the water body.
Family members rushed to the spot and pulled both of them out of the well. However, Jagtap passed away while being shifted from Georai to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for advanced treatment. Rathod also succumbed to his injuries on the way of hospital, they said.
Enraged by the negligence of Poclain machine owner and driver, relatives of the deceased and local villagers staged a sit-in protest at the Georai police station. They have demanded the immediate arrest of the Poclain owner and the filing of a criminal case against him.
Police have initiated the process of registering a First Information Report (FIR) and are investigating the matter.
A Poclain machine is a heavy-duty hydraulic excavator primarily used for digging, earthmoving, and demolition in construction and mining sectors.