KARUR: A borewell drilling contractor and his worker engaged by the Munnur panchayat in Karur district to restore a borewell were electrocuted to death on Thursday after an iron hydraulic beam they were lifting came into contact with a live, overhead high-tension cable passing through, the police said.
According to the police, the panchayat authorities had assigned P Balu alias Balasubramani (40) of Munnur, a borewell contractor, to repair the defunct borewell on the civic body’s land surrounding fields in the village. The borewell was used to supply potable water to households in the panchayat.
Accordingly, on Thursday, Balasubramani along with three of his workers arrived at the site and began lifting the hydraulic beam attached to a mini truck. While lifting, they failed to notice the beam coming into contact with the overhead power cable, causing Balasubramani and a worker, M Sathish (38) of Nimithampatti, to suffer electrocution and die. The deceased were touching the truck when the incident occurred, the police said.