CHENNAI: An 18-year-old Class 12 student was electrocuted to death and another youth was critically injured when an aluminium ladder they were moving brushed against a high-tension power line near Mamallapuram on Wednesday. The incident occurred at a private hotel along the East Coast Road at Elanthoppu in Chengalpattu district.
According to the Mamallapuram police, the deceased was Praveen (18), a student of a private school in Chengalpattu, and the injured was Arasu (22). The police said that the duo were relatives of contractor Ahmed, who was assigned with the task of installing a name board above the entrance of a hotel in the area. Ahmed had taken the duo to assist him, police said.
As the trio were installing the board, they shifted a 15-foot aluminium ladder. It reportedly came into contact with an overhead high-voltage line. Praveen suffered severe burns and died on the spot, while Arasu sustained serious injuries.
People nearby rushed Arasu to the Chengalpattu Government Hospital where he is under treatment. Praveen’s body has been sent for autopsy. The Mamallapuram police have registered a case and further inquiry is under way.