BY OMOS OYINBODE, ASABA
A 35 years old male staff of the Benin Electricity Distribution Company (BEDC) attached to Asaba district was, Thursday, electrocuted to death in Asaba, the Delta State capital.
According to eye witnesses, the victim was effecting repairs on a faulty 450 KVA high tension wire in Umuagu, one of the quarters in the state capital when he was electrocuted.
“We saw three BEDC staff when they came with a Hilux van at about 8 p.m. and started climbing up that night. We were wondering why they were working at that time. A few minutes after, we saw light sparking at the top of the pole where one of them was working.
“Suddenly, the man was electrocuted and hung on the pole for a while, but he later felt down. His hand was burnt and smoke was coming out from his nose and ear. Eventually his head burst,” the eyewitness said.
Our correspondent gathered that he climbed the electric pole and was trying to belt himself to the pole when suddenly power was restored which shocked him and threw him off the pole with force with part of his body burnt.
The corpse of the victim, whose first name was given as Mr. Bright Ekene Abuwaeze, was later deposited in a mortuaryas at yesterday.
When our correspondent visited BEDC office yesterday morning, the staff were all seen in a mounring mood with many of them reluctant to work as a sign of respect for the victim.
Speaking to our correspondent, BEDC Public Affairs Officer, Mrs. Esther Okolie confirmed the incident, adding that the victim was a routine official duty effecting repairs on complaints by members of the public.
She attributed the incident to illegal connections made by unknown members of the public and warned others to desist from the unlawful act.
