Published on 10:00 PM, September 21, 2015

India man buried alive in road crater

Workers did not see the man lying at the bottom of the crater. Photo: BBC

An Indian man has died after construction workers who failed to see him lying in a crater on the road buried him alive.

The incident took place in Katani district in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

Police officials told the BBC that the 45-year-old man was drunk when he fell into the crater.

Two people including the driver of a tipper truck that poured gravel into the crater have been arrested.

The incident came to light when villagers saw a hand sticking out from under a pile of gravel.

The man is believed to have been on his way home from a nearby village when he fell into the crater.

The state administration has ordered an inquiry into the incident and promised to "take strong action against those found guilty".

The driver of the tipper truck that poured the gravel into the crater has been arrested along with another labourer at the construction site.