Hazaribagh, Nov. 19: Two members of the near-extinct Birhor tribe died in separate accidents in the district during the past 24 hours.

The government has been running a programme to increase the population of the Birhor tribals in the state.

Basudev Birhor died at Kansar when a tractor loaded with wood fell on him, killing him on the spot. The tractor, bearing no registration number, belonged to Vinay Mahto who used to carry logs to traders from forest.

As the news of the accident reached the villagers, a large crowd assembled on the spot and started demanding compensation. Basudev’s body was later brought to Sadar Hospital in the town where it was handed over to the family members after a post-mortem examination.

In the other accident at West Bokaro under Ghato police station, 25-year-old Baso Brihor, son of Lal Singh Brihor, died this morning when a fast-moving vehicle crushed him.

In another incident, chaos broke out at a religious fair at Narsingh temple when criminals threw stones at a bee-hive. Over a dozen children were stung by the bees and admitted to different hospitals at Hazaribagh. Thousands of people had thronged the fair.

Villagers said last year as well, some unidentified persons had disturbed a beehive, causing injury to many. “Around 10 am, some hooligans threw stones at the beehive on a tree top. This created chaos at the mela. There could have been a stampede,” a villager said.