Nashik/Mumbai, Feb 13 (IANS): At least four railway trackmen were crushed to death after a train tower wagon rolled down from the wrong side near Lasalgaon in Maharashtra's Nashik, triggering protests by local rail workers, officials said here on Monday.

The tragedy occurred around 5.45 a.m. when the workers were working on the tracks and tower wagon suddenly came from the wrong direction, killing them instantly.

Tower wagons are used for maintaining overhead equipment and electrical fittings in electrified sections of the railway networks, generally during low traffic hours.

On learning of the gruesome tragedy, Lasalgaon police and local Central Railway officials rushed to the spot and the tower wagon driver was detained.

The victims have been identified as Dinesh S. Darade, 35, Santosh B. Kedar, Sukhdev Shirshat, both 38, and Krishna A. Ahire, 40.

Shocked by the calamity hitting their four colleagues, several railway employees staged protests at Lasalgaon railway station, accusing the railway officials of negligence and not reaching the spot for several hours.

They also blocked the Mumbai-bound Manmad-LTT Godavari Express for a few minutes before police removed them from the tracks, though CR services were marginally delayed owing to the accident.