A MAN died after being sucked into an MRI machine at an Indian hospital while visiting a sick relative.

Rajesh Maru was pulled towards the machine by its magnetic force when he entered the room carrying an oxygen cylinder, reports The Sun.
Mumbai Police confirmed a doctor and a junior staff member have been arrested in connection with the incident, which happened at Nair Hospital over the weekend.

Spokesman Deepak Deoraj said: “We have arrested a doctor and another junior staff member under section 304 of the Indian penal code for causing death due to negligence.”

Police said preliminary reports suggested that the man had died from inhaling liquid oxygen that leaked from the cylinder.

It is thought the cylinder was damaged after hitting the machine.

Ramesh Bharmal, the dean of the hospital, said an investigation had been launched to determine the exact cause of death.

He said CCTV footage of the incident had been handed over to police.

The victim’s uncle said Maru had been asked to carry the cylinder by the junior staff member who assured him the machine was switched off.

Jitendra Maru explained: “The ward boy who was supposed to prevent such incidents told my family members to go inside when the machine was turned on. We are shocked and devastated.”

The state government of Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital, announced compensation of 500,000 rupees (A$10,000) for the victim’s family.

Meanwhile, tributes have been posted on Maru’s Facebook page.

Vij Nat wrote: “I never knew you personally ... but it’s sad that we lost a person like you ... May your soul rest in peace, Rajesh.”

MRI, or magnetic resonance imaging, machines use a powerful magnetic field to produce images of the body’s organs.

Metallic objects are pulled towards it and must not be carried into the room.

In 2014 two hospital workers sustained injuries when they were pinned between an MRI machine and a metal oxygen tank for four hours at a hospital in New Delhi.

In 2001, a six-year-old boy undergoing an MRI scan in New York was killed when a metal oxygen tank flew towards the machine and crushed his skull.