Two electrocution cases

A TODDLER and a teenager lost their lives after being electrocuted in two separate incidents in the past three weeks, Energy Fiji Ltd (EFL) chief executive officer Hasmukh Patel told a press conference yesterday.

He said the first incident occurred when a Year 10 student used a faulty extension cord.

“So when she connected that extension cord to that power point the exposed portion of the extension cord came into contact with her hand,” he said.

The second tragedy occurred last Monday when a five-yearold child’s foot came into contact with an iron pipe that had been part of a temporary shed.

“The shed that had been erected had been supported by these iron pipes and the roof of this shed was a roofing iron,” Mr Patel added.

“The roofing iron had not been tied down properly. The distance from the roofing iron to our low voltage powerlines was not that great.

“So what happened, due to the inclement weather conditions that had prevailed over the weekend, there were some heavy winds and because the roofing iron had not been tied down it started to fly.

“In the process, the tin came into contact with the low voltage powerlines while one end was still attached to the roof.”

He said as a result, the entire shed became live including the iron pipes which were supporting the structure where the victim was playing.

He urged the public to ensure extension cords did not pose any risk and to follow proper guidelines when erecting temporary sheds.