Indian man dies after been sucked into MRI machine while visiting a sick relative

An Indian man has died in a freak accident after he was sucked in to an MRI machine at a hospital in Mumbai.

Rajesh Maru, 32, was killed after walking into the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) room to visit a sick elderly relative while carrying an oxygen cylinder, police say.

Two arrests have been made by the Police and an investigation has been launched into the tragic incident which occurred in Mumbai’s Nair Hospital on 27 January.

"We have arrested a doctor and another junior staff member under section 304 of the Indian penal code for causing death due to negligence," Mumbai police spokesman Deepak Deoraj told AFP.

Police said preliminary reports suggested that the man had died from inhaling liquid oxygen that leaked from the cylinder after it hit the MRI machine.. It is thought the cylinder was damaged after hitting the machine.

NDTV reports Mr Maru’s hand was trapped in the machine when the damaged cylinder burst, “triggering a massive oxygen leak”. He was rushed to an emergency room but was pronounced dead within 10 minutes.

His family say staff at the hospital assured them the machine was switched off before he entered the room.

“I asked the ward boy thrice about the machine but he ridiculed me, saying that he knows his job well and does not need to know from me about it,” his relative Priyanka Solanki said.

Ramesh Bharmal, the dean of the hospital, told AFP that an investigation had been launched to determine the exact cause of death, adding CCTV footage of the incident had been handed over to police.

The victim's uncle said Maru had been asked to carry the cylinder by the junior staff member who assured him the machine was switched off.

The victim’s uncle, Jitendra Maru, added:

“The ward boy who was supposed to prevent such incidents told my family members to go inside when the machine was turned on. We are shocked and devastated.”

His mother Gala said that her son-in-law was initially meant to enter the room instead of her son.  

“My son-in-law was supposed to take his mother to the MRI room, but the ring in his finger was stuck and wouldn't come off,” she said.

Ramesh Bharmal, the dean of the hospital, said that an investigation had been launched to determine the exact cause of death. 

The state government of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital, announced compensation of 500,000 rupees ($7,870) for the victim's family.

Tributes have also been paid to Mr Maru on his memorialised Facebook page.

MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, machines use a powerful magnetic field to produce images of the body's organs. Metallic objects are pulled towards it and must not be carried into the room.