Eight labourers were electrocuted to death and five others, including three women, were seriously injured on Monday morning in Chhapoli village in the Udaipurwati area of Rajasthan's Jhunjhunu district, after an iron pipe fitted to a gravel-mixing machine being used for road construction came into contact with an overhead 11,000-volt high-tension power line, police said.

Source: Madhyamam Online

Udaipurwati Station House Officer Rampal confirmed that the current passed through the machine into the workers at the site near a village pond. The eight deceased were identified as Hariram (30), Mangalchand (22), Kaluram (29) and Pawan (23) of Mandawara, and Surendra alias Suresh (30), Mukesh (27), Fateh Chand (32) and contractor Vishnu (38) of Chhapoli. The injured — Geeta (45), Santra (35), Manju (38), Mahendra (27) and Gigaram (48), all of Chhapoli — were admitted to hospital in Udaipurwati.

District Collector Dr Arun Garg and Superintendent of Police Kavendra Singh Sagar reached the spot after the incident. Police said the road work was being carried out near a pond on forest land where construction permission had not been granted, and Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar said the work was being executed privately on a small scale with public participation.

Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma expressed grief, ordered a high-level inquiry, sought a report from the Jhunjhunu district collector and directed officials to ensure proper medical care for the injured and immediate assistance to the affected families. Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund for the next of kin of each person killed and Rs 50,000 for each injured person.

Source: IANS

Former chief minister Ashok Gehlot expressed sorrow over the deaths and asked who would be held responsible for the incident. Further details on the condition of the injured and the inquiry are awaited.