2 electrocuted to death after truck touches electricity wires in Ghaziabad

Two truck drivers were electrocuted when their vehicle came into contact with an 11kV live wire in Ghaziabad, India. The truck caught fire and the drivers were pronounced dead at the hospital. The reason behind the incident is under investigation.

A truck driver and his co-driver were electrocuted when their container truck came into contact with an 11kV live wire in Muradnagar near the Delhi-Meerut Road in Ghaziabad on Tuesday afternoon, police officers aware of the matter said, adding that the two were rushed to a hospital for treatment but were pronounced dead by doctors.

The truck caught fire after it came near the high-tension electricity wires near Delhi-Meerut Road on Tuesday. The fire department dispatched four fire tenders, and the fire was extinguished within an hour. The driver and co-driver were pronounced dead at the hospital. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

The truck driver was identified from his Aadhaar card as Laxman Singh, 54, who was from Rajasthan, while efforts were underway to identify the co-driver, who was around 45 years old.

“The truck had a Gujarat registration number and was on the Hisali Road near the Delhi-Meerut Road when it touched overhead electricity cables. The vehicle was loaded with old refrigerators and air conditioner parts. The two men were electrocuted as a result of the passing of an electric current, and the vehicle caught fire. We dispatched four fire tenders, and the fire was extinguished within an hour,” said Rahul Pal, chief fire officer.

As regards the reason behind the incident, Pradeep Singh Rajput, an eye-witness, said, “The truck was moving ahead, and a car was coming from the opposite direction. The car driver did not budge and forced the driver to move to one side of the road. When the container driver moved the vehicle aside, it came in contact with the electricity wires, which seemed loose and hanging.”

An eyewitness, Pradeep Singh Rajput, described the incident: “The truck was moving ahead and a car was coming from the opposite direction. The car driver refused to move and forced the truck driver to the other side of the road. When the container driver moved the vehicle aside, it came into contact with the loose and hanging electricity wires.”

According to the police, the truck owner was summoned to Ghaziabad following the driver’s identification.

“We’re attempting to determine whether the 11kV wires were standard height or loose. We also checked a CCTV in the area and are trying to scan more to determine why the truck came in contact with the wires. The co-driver will also be identified soon,” said deputy commissioner of police Vivek Chandra Yadav (crime).

Officials of the Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited (PVVNL) could not provide the standard height of the 11kV electricity lines.

“It has come to our attention that when the truck moved aside, it came dangerously close to the 11kV wires, resulting in electrocution. According to reports, the vehicle did not come into contact with the cables. Following the electrocution, the electricity in the area was cut off due to our fault detection safety systems. Later, the truck caught fire. “We are awaiting the results of the police investigation,” said VK Arya, superintending engineer at PVVNL.