- Wednesday, April 23, 2025
The deceased included a police officer and five home guards, authorities said.
By: Shubham Ghosh
FIFTEEN lives were lost on Tuesday (18) when an electricity transformer exploded on the banks of a river in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. The deceased included a police officer and five home guards. At least 15 were also severely injured in the incident, the authorities said.
Police and rescue teams reached on the spot.
It was reported that the tragedy occurred on the banks of the Alakananda river in Chamoli district of the Himalayan state. According to India’s NDTV news channel, the explosion in the transformer electrified a bridge on the river near Pipalkoti village, causing the deaths and injuries.
Pramendra Dhobal, superintendent of police of Chamoli said they had received a call that a watchman was electrocuted. But when the police went to the spot, they found that more than 20 people suffered serious injuries. Fifteen died in the hospital later while many remained critical. They were undergoing treatment in the district’s main hospital. Efforts were also on transfer them to a bigger hospital in Rishikesh in the state via helicopter.
Dhobal also said that the incident took place on Tuesday night but was reported on Wednesday (20) morning.
Uttarakhand chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered an enquiry into the incident.
Deaths caused by electrocution are not uncommon in India because of poor wiring and infrastructure.
