Raisen, June 25 : In another incident of electrocution, three persons died at a construction site in Padariya Kala village under the jurisdiction of Bamhori police station in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh.

According to police officials, four others were critically injured on Wednesday afternoon.

The incident occurred at around 3 p.m. while labourers were engaged in roofing work on a private residence.

Speaking to IANS, Preetam Singh, Investigating Officer at Bamhori police station, said: 'The workers were casting the roof of a concrete house belonging to one Jamna Kahar when the mishap occurred. As part of the process, a lift machine used for mixing and transporting cement-concrete -- locally referred to as 'masala' -- was being repositioned. In the course of pushing the machine, seven workers reportedly came into contact with a live electric wire of the house, resulting in a powerful electric shock to all.'

Three workers -- identified as Rajesh (18), Azad (24), and Rup Singh (30) -- died on the spot due to severe burns and electrocution before they could be taken to hospital, the officer informed.

The four injured -- Nilesh Thakur (24) of Nayakheda, Surendra Kahar (22) of Padariya Kala, Kamal Kahar (35) of Gauharganj, and Durgesh Kahar (35) of Badi -- were initially rushed to Bamhori Hospital.

'Later, they were shifted to Silwani (tehsil) hospital, where their condition is improving,' the police officer said.

When asked whether a case had been registered, the officer stated: 'A case under Section 106 (criminal negligence) will be registered against the contractor and the owner of the house once the post-mortem reports of the deceased are received. We have recorded statements from eyewitnesses and are expected to coordinate with the electricity department to assess and fix liability and determine whether negligence contributed to the fatalities.'

The officer, however, denied that the victims came into contact with an overhead high-tension wire.

'Preliminary investigations suggest that the lift machine may have inadvertently touched or come dangerously close to a live electric line,' he said.

The absence of proper insulation and the proximity of high-voltage lines to residential structures have been flagged in previous incidents across Madhya Pradesh.

In a similar incident in Balaghat district on Tuesday, three members of a family died after coming into contact with a sagging high-tension power line.

The incident occurred near Dewalgaon village when a tree branch fell on an 11 kV overhead wire, causing it to hang low across the road.

The victims -- Sevak Ram Panche (30), his wife Renuka Panche (28), and her cousin Bhojraj Panche (28) -- were on their way to a temple when they unknowingly came into contact with the live wire.

All three were charred to death on spot.

/IANS