Timely action by Thirugnanam, 36, an Electricity Board worker from Kalimedu, may have saved several lives on the fateful night when the electrocution incident took place.
Thirugnanam’s wife Kannagi told The Hindu that her husband, on seeing the cart-pullers being thrown away in the impact of the electric shock and a fire breaking out, initially rushed towards the cart, like the others who tried to rescue the victims.
However, on realising the gravity of the situation after he felt a jerk while stepping on the wet road, he immediately alerted his counterparts in Thanjavur and asked them to shut the high-voltage power supply.
Mr. Thirugnanam himself was admitted to Thanjavur Medical College hospital with severe body pain.
Praveen, a first-year BCA student from Kalimedu, said he came out of his house around 3 a.m. after sensing commotion in the area, and saw the decorated cart in flames. Some people were lying motionless on the carriage. Immediately, he called his friends and tried out the hands-only cardiopulmonary resuscitation technique. Together, they managed to revive the heartbeat of some of the people who were lying unconscious.
