Idukki (Keralam) | Two women died after a large tree fell on them while they were working at a cardamom plantation in Mankulam here on Sunday, police said.

The deceased were both residents of the Sinkukudi tribal settlement in the district.

The women were among six people working at the plantation when a large, dried-up tree fell on them in the afternoon, trapping them underneath, police said.

On being alerted by their co-workers, locals rushed to the spot and cut the tree to rescue the women. Their bodies were retrieved and shifted to the Adimali taluk hospital, police said.

The incident was not related to rain, as the weather was clear in the area at the time of the accident, they said.

However, the district administration had ordered a halt to plantation work in view of a forecast of heavy rainfall in the district, officials said.

Police will register a case and investigate the incident, officials said.

The bodies will be handed over to the relatives after postmortem examinations on Monday, police added.