HYDERABAD/ JAGTIAL: Sunday brought twin electrocution disasters to Telangana. Early morning in Hyderabad’s LB Nagar, a fallen high-tension wire charred to death two suspected homeless persons and a dog as they slept.
Hours later, in Korutla, two artisans were killed and seven critically injured after a large Ganesh idol they were moving touched a live power line.
In the Hyderabad case, two unidentified persons, suspected to be a couple, and a street dog were charred to death after a high-tension electric wire fell on them near Babai Hotel at Sagar X Roads in LB Nagar around 2 am.
According to police, a constable and a home guard, on Blue Colt patrol duty, received a distress call. Upon reaching the spot, they found the victims — a man, a woman and a dog — burnt to death. They had reportedly been sleeping beside a temple under blankets when the 11kV line snapped and landed on them.
“The victims died instantly and suffered severe burns. Their blankets and clothes had fused to their bodies,” said LB Nagar police, adding that the bodies were charred beyond recognition. Power supply to the area was immediately cut off.
Locals said the victims were beggars who often slept near the temple. Police suspect the wire may have snapped on its own or been dislodged by a passing vehicle. A case has been registered, and an investigation is underway. The bodies have been shifted for postmortem.
Accident at idol-making unit
In the Korutla case, two young men died and seven others sustained injuries after being electrocuted while moving Lord Ganesh idols made of plaster of Paris at an idol manufacturing unit on the town outskirts.
The incident occurred at Balaji Kala Arts, owned by Alvala Vinod. He and another worker, Banti Sai, were shifting wet idols from one shed to another for drying when a 13-foot-tall idol accidentally came in contact with a high-tension 133/11 kV power line from Kondrikarla. The shockwave affected at least nine workers.
Videos shot by locals show workers collapsing on the spot. Others tried to disconnect the idol from the wire using a bamboo pole but were unsuccessful. All nine were rushed to a nearby hospital. Vinod and Sai succumbed to their injuries during treatment. The remaining victims, some of them critical, were later shifted from Korutla to Karimnagar for better medical care.
Korutla police reached the spot and registered a case. A detailed investigation is underway.
Jagtial Collector B Satya Prasad visited the injured at the hospital and assured the families of full support. He instructed officials to extend all possible medical and financial assistance.