Eight workers were killed and five injured on Monday morning when a gravel-mixing machine at a road construction site in Chhapoli village, Rajasthan’s Jhunjhunu district, came into contact with an overhead high-tension power line, according to police accounts reported by news agencies.

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The incident took place within the limits of Udaipurwati police station. A Press Trust of India report carried by ThePrint said the machine was being used to mix gravel for a road project when it touched the line. An IANS report carried by The Hawk also reported eight deaths.

Police said the machine came into contact with an overhead line and that the electrical current passed through the equipment. The five injured workers were taken for treatment, according to PTI and subsequent reports. The casualty figures reflect the latest accounts available at the time of reporting; the state government had not published a separate detailed casualty bulletin.

The precise sequence of events, including the position of the machine, the height and clearance of the power line, and whether the supply had been isolated before work began, has not been established in a technical report. Those are matters for the investigation, not conclusions that can be drawn from the initial accounts.

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Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma directed officials to conduct a high-level inquiry and obtain a detailed report from the district administration. The New Indian Express reported that Energy Minister Heeralal Nagar said technical officials had been asked to examine the incident and that action would follow if a departmental or technical lapse were established.

The inquiry is expected to establish how the machine was operated near the overhead line, what safety checks were carried out, whether the work site had been assessed for electrical hazards, and which agencies or contractors were responsible for supervision. An inquiry or allegation does not itself establish negligence or prove that a particular safety rule was breached.

Some residents raised concerns about the condition and clearance of local power lines, according to later reporting. Those claims have not been independently established and should be treated as allegations pending inspection by the electricity authorities.

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The Prime Minister’s Office said in a Press Information Bureau release posted at 2:32 pm IST on November 2 that ₹2 lakh from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund would be given to the next of kin of each deceased worker. The injured would receive ₹50,000 each. The announcement is an ex-gratia payment and is separate from any compensation or liability that may be determined through the state’s investigation.

The immediate priority is treatment for the injured and support for the families of those killed. The longer-term questions concern electrical safety at construction sites, coordination between contractors and power utilities, and whether machinery can be operated safely near live overhead lines. Any findings should be based on the technical inspection and official records.

Sources: Prime Minister’s Office, Press Information Bureau; Press Trust of India,