Two girls were electrocuted in Chennai on November 1 when they stepped on a power cable hidden under stagnant rain water at R.R. Nagar in the city’s Kodungaiyur area. Another girl escaped after she jumped on a cement slab.
According to police, Bhavana and Yuvashri, both eight-years-old, are daughters of Parthiban and Murthy respectively. The families reside in F Block, R.R. Nagar in Kodungaiyur. The two girls studied in a nearby government school.
As schools had declared holiday due to the heavy rains, the children were playing in the locality on November1 afternoon. “I was also playing with the Yuvashiri and Bhavana. All of a sudden I saw them fall unconscious. Frightened, I jumped on to a cement slab nearby and sat there crying. After sometime I fainted,” recalls Akshaya, another eight-year-old residing in the same locality.
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When the residents rushed to the help of the two girls, they found that children had stepped on the power cable, from an open junction box, that was hidden under the stagnant water. They immediately informed the police about the incident and rushed the girls to the hospital. However the two girls died. Power supply in the locality was also cut to prevent further causalities.
Angry residents staged a protest condemning government negligence. “Most junction boxes in the locality have been lying open for many months. Whenever we lodge a complaint, there is no action,” said B. James, a resident of the locality.
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Kumudha, another resident complained that in most places underground cables jut out due to road cuts. “When we complain, TANGEDCO officials place a wooden plank on it and leave the spot,” she complained.