COIMBATORE: A TNSTC driver died on the spot after a high-tension power line snapped and fell on the bus near Sholurmattam at Kotagiri in Nilgiris on Friday morning.
According to police, K Prathap (43) of Thuneri used to operate the bus between Kotagiri and Koodada village near Sholurmattam.
On Friday, around 6 am, Prathap started the bus with four passengers. The weather was cold and visibility was poor due to fog. While navigating a bend at Kovilmattam near Kengarai, Prathap realised that a power line had come into contact with the bus. He immediately stopped the bus and alerted the passengers.
All of them got down from the bus and Prathap jumped out through the driver’s cabin. Even as they were looking for the wire, it snapped and fell on the bus. Not realising this, Prathap tried to get into the bus As soon as Prathap touched the metal handle on the cabin door, he suffered electric shock and died, Tangedco sources said.
Not realising this, Prathap tried to get into the bus to move it to safety. A senior Tangedco officer said people will not suffer electrocution if they stay inside a vehicle if it comes into contact with a snapped live wire as the rubber tyres act as insulator and will not conduct electricity. Prathap had one leg on the ground when he touched the handle, hence his body acted as a conductor and he suffered electric shock, the officer said.
The officer added that it was an 11 KV line that supplies electricity from the Kil Kotagiri feeder and runs parallel to the road. “On Thursday night, it rained heavily which damaged the pin insulator and the broken line hung from the pole. The feeder tripped and the fuse conductor failed. Technically, it is a case of reverse supply on the line.
Due to fog, the driver drove close to the edge of the road and the broken line came into contact with the metal luggage carrier fixed on the roof, which triggered electricity arc. Noticing the spark, the driver stopped the bus and deboarded the passengers. After which the line fell on the bus, however, he failed to notice the broken EB line fell on the top of the bus,” the officer said. The Sholurmattam police have booked a case.