File photo: Spokesman for the Anambra State Police Command, Tochukwu Ikenga
Three men have been electrocuted to death in Fegge, Onitsha, Anambra State, after an iron pole they were attempting to erect for a water tank fell onto an 11kV overhead electricity line.
The incident occurred on Monday at No. 123, Old Port Harcourt Road, where the owner of a two-storey building had engaged a contractor to sink a borehole.
The victims, identified as Chukwudi Ukwa, Frank Okafor and Somadina Nwabuike, reportedly arrived at the premises as members of the contractor’s team and were attempting to erect the iron pole when it fell onto the electricity line, electrocuting them.
Their bodies were subsequently taken to the General Hospital, Onitsha, by police officers from the Fegge Division.
Police officers at the division confirmed the incident to our correspondent on Tuesday on condition of anonymity.
They added that the building owner, identified simply as Mr Steven, was assisting the police with their investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tragedy.
Reacting to the incident, FirstPower Electricity Distribution Company Limited expressed concern over the deaths, warning that the tragedy highlighted the dangers of carrying out construction and installation work close to overhead electricity lines without observing the required safety precautions.
In a statement issued on Tuesday and signed by its Head of Communications, Izunna Okafor, the company warned property owners, contractors and artisans against erecting water tanks, handling long metal objects or undertaking construction activities close to power lines without adequate safety clearance.
It explained that metal objects that come into contact with live electricity lines could conduct current and cause fatal electrocution, even when those handling them do not directly touch the wires.
The statement read, “The tragedy points to the grave dangers associated with carrying out construction, borehole drilling, tank installation and other activities close to overhead electricity lines without observing the required safety clearances.
“An iron pole or other long metal object that comes into contact with an energised power line can conduct electricity and cause instant fatal electrocution, even when those handling it do not deliberately touch the wire.”
According to Okafor, the company had noted with concern that such incidents were preventable if property owners, contractors, artisans and members of the public observed established electrical safety requirements and kept people, equipment and materials at a safe distance from overhead lines.
He said the company had continued to conduct electricity safety awareness campaigns in markets, motor parks, streets, schools and communities across Anambra State, warning against erecting structures or carrying out activities within electricity line rights-of-way without the required safety clearance.
The campaigns, he added, had particularly addressed traders setting up stalls beneath high-tension lines, commercial tricycle operators loading passengers under power lines and residents undertaking construction work dangerously close to electricity infrastructure.
FirstPower warned that electricity line corridors were unsafe for unauthorised buildings, trading stalls, canopies, water tanks, scaffolding and the handling of long metal objects.
It urged property owners to ensure that contractors engaged for borehole drilling, building construction, water tank installation, roofing and other projects identified nearby electricity lines and observed the required safety clearances before commencing work.
The company also advised members of the public never to touch fallen electricity wires or attempt to move objects that had come into contact with power lines. Any suspected electrical hazard, it said, should be reported immediately to the company or the appropriate emergency authorities, while members of the public should keep a safe distance from the affected area.
“Work around electricity infrastructure should only be undertaken by qualified and authorised personnel under appropriate safety procedures,” the statement added.
The company extended its condolences to the families and associates of the deceased, urging residents to take electricity safety warnings seriously.
It pledged to sustain its public sensitisation campaigns and collaboration with relevant authorities and communities to discourage unsafe activities around electricity installations.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the police through the state command’s spokesman, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, were unsuccessful, as calls and messages to his telephone line were not answered on Tuesday.