A 13-year-old student was electrocuted due to a low-lying live wire at a school in Kollam, Kerala, on Thursday morning. The school management said that they had applied for shifting of the electric line, but no action was taken.
The deceased has been identified as Midhun, a Class VIII student at Thevalakkara Boys' High School. The incident occurred around 8.30 AM while he was playing with his friends. According to reports, Midhun was electrocuted while trying to retrieve a slipper that had fallen onto the roof of the bicycle shed on the school compound. He came into contact with a low-lying live electric line. Though he was rushed to a hospital, his life could not be saved.
General Education Minister V Sivankutty has sought a report from the Director of General Education on the student’s death, terming it a tragic incident.
Kovoor Kunjumon, MLA, said that it was something that should never have happened. “I was not aware that the electric line was hanging low. If there has been a lapse, the department concerned must accept it. It is believed that there was a serious lapse on the part of Kerala State Electricity Board. Necessary action will be taken,” he added.
V. Sivankutty said he had dispatched the Director of General Education to the accident site to investigate the episode and give a detailed report. He said he had also rushed General Education officers in Kollam district to the spot.
Meanwhile, local people told reporters on the spot that the power line was hanging loosely and almost touched the shed of the cycle stand. They accused the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) of not realigning the power line, which passed dangerously close to the school building.
Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty told reporters that he had ordered an inquiry into the incident, and it was too early in the day to state whether there was any safety lapse on KSEB’s part. “The government hopes to get the inquiry report in a matter of hours. The incident’s cause remains sketchy”, he said.
