Indian agricultural worker dies in Italy after gruesome accident

Rome, June 20 (IANS/DPA) The death of an Indian agricultural worker has caused outrage in Italy after gruesome details of the deadly work accident emerged.

The 31-year-old man bled to death after being injured by a machine in Borgo Santa Maria, south of Rome. His arm was reportedly severed in the incident, while both his legs were crushed.

Investigators said the man’s employer did not immediately bring him to hospital, instead driving him back to his accommodation. His severed arm was found in a fruit crate nearby.

The worker eventually succumbed to his injuries in hospital on Wednesday. He had reportedly been living in Italy since 2021 without an official work permit.

The public prosecutor’s office is investigating the man’s alleged employer, a 37-year-old Italian.

Labour Minister Marina Calderone called the incident an “act of barbarism.” Several trade unions have since drawn attention to poor working conditions in Italy’s agricultural sector, which employs around 2,30,000 people.

Reports have suggested many of the employees, especially in the south of the country, are migrants, including some children.

–IANS/DPA

sd/sha