New Delhi: A labourer was killed in railways' mechanised laundry here today when a pipe of a boiler broke and hit him on the head. The mechanised laundry for washing Railway Hospital linen is located behind Northern Railway Central Hospital (NRCH), here. Operation and maintenance of this laundry are outsourced to a Contractor 'Laundraid', a statement from Northern Railways said.

"Today afternoon, the outlet pipe boiler broke and a piece of this pipe hit the contractor's labour named Pradeep, aged about 37 years. He was brought to NRCH where Railway doctors gave him immediate treatment and did all possible medical interventions and procedures to treat and stabilised his condition," the statement said. Since he had a severe injury to the head, he was immediately shifted to RML hospital by railway doctors and paramedical staff for further treatment, it said. 

"While he was in the RML hospital, the hospital doctors tried to improve his condition but after 35 minutes of efforts to save his life and despite being put on life support systems, the said person could not be saved and he passed away," Northern Railways spokesperson Nitin Chowdhary said. 

The general manager and the divisional railway manager along with senior railway officials have visited the site of the incident, he said. A senior officer-level enquiry has been ordered by General Manager Northern Railways at the headquarter level, the railways' statement said.