Chennai rains: In separate incidents, two die of ‘electrocution’ in waterlogged areas

"Electricity is leaking from the lamp post, and the shock waves could even be felt in the knee-deep water that has stagnated near the post," sources said.
Electric cables loosely connected to a ‘power box’ at Venkatammal Samadi Street at Purasaivakkam, posing a threat to the residents during rainy days. (Photo |  P Jawahar)
Electric cables loosely connected to a ‘power box’ at Venkatammal Samadi Street at Purasaivakkam, posing a threat to the residents during rainy days. (Photo | P Jawahar)

CHENNAI:  Two men allegedly got electrocuted in separate incidents at T Nagar and Ashok Nagar on Wednesday night. Police identified the T Nagar accident victim as Abu Haneef (35) of Assam. He was employed at a commercial complex in the area. After work on Wednesday, around 7.30 pm, when Haneef was walking on G N Chetty Road, he allegedly came in contact with the pole of a street lamp. 

“He suffered an electric shock and died on the spot. Upon information, Pondy Bazaar police reached the spot and sent the body for postmortem. Electricity is leaking from the lamp post, and the shock waves could even be felt in the knee-deep water that has stagnated near the post. Barricades have been placed around the post as a temporary measure. Police have registered a case and further inquiry is underway,” sources said.

However, officials from the corporation said a preliminary inspection by engineers found no snag in the lamp post. “There was also no eyewitness to the incident. We are awaiting the postmortem report to take further action,” they said.

Meanwhile, Manikandan (32), who was walking back home from work on Wednesday night, collapsed and died along the lake view road at Ashok Nagar. Police said he was walking barefoot for religious reasons. “Manikandan was speaking on the phone while the incident occurred.

He allegedly told the person on the other end of the call that he had suffered an electric shock. There were no external injuries on his body. So, it could be a case of electrocution, but those who were walking near Manikandan were not affected. We are awaiting the postmortem report to ascertain the cause of death,” the police further said.

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