Indian man dies after freak MRI machine accident at Mumbai hospital

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

Two arrests have been made 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.

Preliminary reports suggest he died from inhaling liquid oxygen that leaked from the cylinder after it hit the MRI 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.

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 told Indian daily newspaper The Hindu 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, told AFP that an investigation had been launched to determine the exact cause of death. 

The victim's family have been awarded the victim’s family 500,000 rupees (£5,600) in compensation.

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