A woman an her son have been electrocuted by 11 KVA high-tension cable owned by the Benin Electricity Distribution Company in Eruemukohwarian community of Ughelli North Local Government Area of Delta State Nigeria.
The victims were identified as Mary, a widow, and her son, Prince.
Impeccable source disclosed that the cable which had become weakened, broke off and fell on the roof of a market stall, and immediately caught fire.
According to the source, Mary got electrocuted while trying to rescue her son, who also died from electric shock following a burst of fire from the high-tension cable.
The source also disclosed that three other people had also died from electrocution in the same area less than a year ago.
Angered by the repeated tragic incidents of electrocutions in the community, residents have appealed to BEDC to, without delay, replace worn-out cables as a solution to avoidable losses of lives to electrocution.
It was however gathered that the worn-out cable which claimed the victims’ lives had not been removed from the scene of the incident as of Saturday morning.
Expressing sadness over the recurring tragedy, the General Secretary of the community, Chief Kingsley Emomate, urged BEDC to do the needful by replacing destroyed cables in the community.
Emomate said: “It is truly a pitiable and sympathetic incident. It is very unfortunate that lives have been lost. We experienced a similar tragedy over a year ago, where we lost three community members. This recurring loss of lives due to poor electrical materials provided by BEDC is unacceptable.”
He therefore urged the government to intervene and ensure the replacement of the depleted cables, which he noted, had been in use for over four decades.