A 22-year-old worker at a Volkswagen production plant in Germany was killed by a robot on Monday, a tragedy that the car company believed was caused by human error, the Associated Press reported.

The machine malfunctioned unexpectedly and crushed the young man against a metal plate when he was helping to put together the stationary robot that grabs and configures auto parts. He later died from the injuries.

The type of robot that crushed the technicain is usually kept in a cage. The man was attending to the robot inside the cage when he was grabbed.

The robot can be programmed for specific tasks and the company believes the malfunction was due to human error, a spokesperson for the auto company said.

Prosecutors are still deciding whether to bring charges and whom they would pursue.

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