CHENNAI: In an unfortunate turn of events, two men hired to cut down trees by a private company in Ambattur Industrial Estate died as a tree branch fell on a compound wall and crushed them.

Police probe revealed that the company had hired four workers, three of them - Thangaraj (32), Vijayakumar (41) and Anbu (41) - stood next to the tree with ropes to pull the branches that the other person cut.

While pulling a large branch, it slipped and fell on a compound wall, and a portion of it fell on the three workers standing near the tree. Thangaraj died on impact, while Vijayakumar and Anbu were rushed to KMCH, where the former was declared as brought dead.

Ambattur Estate police registered a case and moved the bodies for post-mortem. Family members of the deceased staged a protest against the management. The police pacified them and arrested manager Madhavan and supervisor Thandapani.