Ranchi, Aug. 10: Angry local residents blocked Bariatu-Booty More Road for more than an hour this morning in protest against the death of two labourers who were crushed under a pile of marble slabs while they were unloading them from a truck parked on Seventh Day Adventist Mission campus in Bariatu.

Residents of nearby Bargain village blocked the road at 11am, demanding Rs 5 lakh compensation for the next of kin of the deceased.

The protesters held the mission management responsible for the incident and asked director C. Murmu to pay the damages.

The mob, however, was pacified by police officers who ensured immediate payment of Rs 10,000 to each victim’s families and promise of jobs for their dependants in the mission, which runs a nursing college, hospital and school.

The police also seized the truck and promised to secure more compensation from whoever had parked the truck at the spot and also the person who had bought the marble.

The protesters withdrew at 12.15pm.

The blockade resulted in massive traffic jams, forcing motorists to take narrow lanes in the area to bypass the trouble spot.

Officer in charge of Sadar police station Ranjan Kumar said the protesters were furious with the mission authorities who took two hours to retrieve the bodies.

The deceased have been identified as Kalicharan Mahto (45) of Sonahatu and Shyam Kumar (24) of Bariatu Bustee.