Man dies after being sucked into MRI machine, police say

Rajesh Maru died in a freak accident in India after being sucked into an MRI machine, police said (Facebook)

A 32-year-old man died in a freak accident in India after being sucked into an MRI machine Saturday night, authorities said.

Rajesh Maru carried an oxygen container into a room at Nair Hospital in Mumbai with an active MRI scanner, and its magnetic forces dragged him in, according to local police.

That’s when the oxygen cylinder apparently broke, emitting fatal concentrations of liquid oxygen that Maru inhaled, the Guardian reported, citing preliminary police reports.

Maru’s uncle told AFP that a hospital employee had allowed his nephew into the MRI room.

“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,” the uncle said, according to AFP.

In a statement released Monday, a Mumbai police spokesman announced that two hospital employees had been arrested for negligence.

“We have arrested a doctor and another junior staff member under section 304 of the Indian penal code for causing death due to negligence,” the spokesman said.