CHENNAI: Four daily wage labourers were electrocuted, and another sustained injuries after a borewell pipe they were lifting came into contact with an overhead high-tension power line at a private resort near Mamallapuram in Chengalpattu district on Saturday afternoon.
The deceased individuals were identified as Prabhu (33) of Neykuppi village, Balaji (20) of Vasanthapuri, Basha Bhai (45) of Mamallapuram and Rajendran (55) of Kadumbadi village.
Bhagavan (45) is undergoing treatment at a nearby hospital.
Police said the resort had engaged a private firm to deepen an existing borewell after groundwater levels fell, resulting in water scarcity.
Around 2.30 pm, the workers were lifting a metal borewell pipe to lower it into the borewell when it accidentally came into contact with an overhead high-tension power line. The electric current passed through the pipe, electrocuting the workers.
Resort staff alerted the Electricity Board and the police, following which the power supply was disconnected. "The bodies of the deceased were sent to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital for postmortem examination," police sources said.
The Mamallapuram police have registered a case and are investigating the incident.