Team News Riveting
Chamoli, July 19
Fifteen people including a police officer were killed and several injured as a power transformer exploded on the banks of the Alaknanda river in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Wednesday.
The injured have been admitted to the district hospital. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a judicial probe into the mishap. The transformer was kept on the banks of Alaknanda and was being used for ongoing work of the Namami Gange project.
The preliminary investigation suggested that there was spark in the transformer and before anybody could react, it exploded. After the explosion, electricity reportedly started flowing in the railing that electrocuted over 35 persons who were working in the site located at Pipalkoti.
Sources said 15 people died on the spot itself. It included policemen also. Besides the police sub inspector, who was outpost in-charge of Pipalkoti, three home guard jawans were among those who died in the mishap.
Reports said a youth was yesterday electrocuted to death on the spot and the team comprising electricity board employees, policemen and civilians had come to recover the body. While the people were engaged in the work, the incident occurred.
Sources said the serious negligence of Uttarakhand Electricity Board had come to the fore as they failed to take precautionary action like shut down while working in the area.
