Limpopo police have opened an inquest after a four-year-old boy was allegedly shocked to death by an open live wire at Burgersdorp village. Lieutenant Colonel Mamphaswa Seabi said the boy died on Sunday evening.
According to Seabi, the toddler was allegedly walking with his siblings from their aunt’s home in the same village when the tragic incident occurred.
“The children ran home to inform their mother that their younger brother was shocked by an open live wire that was lying on the ground. The victim was certified dead on the scene by medical emergency personnel. Police opened a case of inquest for further investigation,” said Seabi.
Meanwhile, Lieutenant-General Thembi Hadebe, the provincial commissioner of police in Limpopo, expressed sadness over the tragic incident and urged residents to “report illegal activities including illegal electricity connections that are taking place to the police, in order to prevent these types of incidents from happening”.
Police investigations into the matter are still continuing.
In a similar incident, in February, a municipal worker died after he was electrocuted while cutting grass in Umlazi, Durban. At the time, Emer-G-Med Kyle van Reenen said paramedics responded to reports of a man who had been electrocuted in the Z Section.
“Reports from the scene are that a male about 38 years of age was cutting the grass on the side of the roadway when he accidentally struck an electrical wire. The man was found in a critical condition and advanced life support resuscitation efforts were exhausted for more than 45 minutes in an attempt to revive him; however, they were unsuccessful and the man was declared dead on the scene,” Van Reenen said.
Source: IOL, Times Live, image from IOL: Antoine de Ras