Latur: A 40-year-old farmer died after getting trapped in a sugarcane harvester in Ausa.

Maharashtra: A 40-year-old farmer was killed on Wednesday afternoon after getting trapped in a sugarcane harvesting machine while working in a field in Ashiv village of Ausa tehsil.

The deceased has been identified as Shankar Prabhakar Sawant (40), a resident of Ashiv. His body was severely mutilated by the powerful machine, and he died on the spot.

According to the police, a harvester machine operated by a factory had come to Sawant’s field for sugarcane harvesting. Around 2:30 pm on Wednesday, while the harvesting was underway, some sugarcane fell to the side. When the victim was trying to put the fallen sugarcane back into the harvester, he accidentally got caught in the machine. Within moments, he sustained grievous injuries from the harvester’s heavy machinery, resulting in his immediate death.

When Sawant did not return home in the afternoon, his wife and son began searching for him. About two hours later, they found his mobile phone and slippers in the sugarcane field, raising suspicions. Upon questioning, the harvester driver initially refused to answer, claiming the machine had malfunctioned. Despite the search, Sawant could not be found until 7 pm.