Angul: In a tragic incident, an excavator ran over a 4-year-old girl child killing her at Nuagaon village under Chhendipada police limits in Odisha's Angul district, today.

The deceased has been identified as Peepal Nayak. The mishap took place when work for a piped drinking water project was underway at the village with the excavator being engaged in it.

The machine crushed the child to death on the spot when she was playing near it. Tension gripped the place as irate villagers detained the excavator driver. Later, police reached the spot, seized the machine and started investigation.