72-year-old burnt alive; grandson critical after high tension electricity wire snapped in Loni

Ghaziabad: A 72-year-old man was burnt alive while his 20-year-old grandson suffered critical burns when a live 11kv electricity wire fell over the duo at Prem Nagar

Ghaziabad: A 72-year-old man was burnt alive while his 20-year-old grandson suffered critical burns when a live 11kv electricity wire fell over the duo at Prem Nagar locality in Ghaziabad’s Loni on Wednesday afternoon. The police said that the young man suffered critical injuries during the incident and was rushed to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi.

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The police said that the incident took place around 3.30pm when a transformer exploded and a live high-tension wire got snapped. The victims, Vijay Kant Jha and his grandson Raju Kumar, were standing near their shop while another person, identified as Anil Kumar, was also nearby.

“There was some malfunction to the electricity transformer placed roadside and it exploded as a result and heated oil also gushed out. In the process, the 11kv wire also got snapped and fell over the three persons. The victims suffered burns and injuries as a result of the incident,” said Yadvendra Kumar, executive engineer of Paschimanchal Vidyut Vitaran Nigam Limited.

“We have a provision of compensation which will be put in place once we get detailed report,” he added.

The incident spot was on a road connecting Prem Nagar and Naipura localities in Loni.

Soon after the incident, locals prepared videos of the incident in which shocking pictures of the burning body of the deceased could be seen. A huge crowd gathered around the incident site but they were moved away by the police.

Locals said that the deceased’s grandson suffered about 80% burn injuries in the incident.

“The third victim was discharged from hospital as he suffered minor injuries. The old man died at the spot while the 20-year-old was rushed to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi in a very critical state. We are waiting for any complaints from the family and will register an appropriate FIR once we get the complaint,” said Neeraj Kumar Jadaun, superintendent of police (rural).