Navaraj Neupane, 29, of Magapauwa VDC-9, and Bishnu Gautam, 18, of Magapauwa VDC-8, died from electrocution Wednesday evening, according to District Police Office (DPO) of Dolakha. [break]
Navaraj and Bishnu breathed their last while being rushed to the hospital. According to Krishna Prasad Neupane, Navaraj´s uncle, high-voltage current was transmitted to the homes from a transformer which was damaged by a thunderstorm. He said the high-voltage current spread through the soaked floor and walls in the house causing the deaths.
Of the four injured, 12-year-old Jhamu Kumari Subedi of Magapauwa VDC-8 is in critical condition. She has been referred to Kathmandu for treatment.
Three other injured -- Bhagwati Subedi, 55, Lila Kumari Subedi, 43 and Sharada Gautam, 33 -- are undergoing treatment at Dolakha Community Hospital. Nine villagers lost their consciousness when they received electric shock.
There was a power cut in Magapauwa till Wednesday evening. When power came back in the evening, the highvoltage electrical current spread across the village.
"It was drizzling when the high-voltage current was transmitted to our houses," Krishna Prasad said. "Those, who were barefooted received the shock."
The Dolakha district branch of Nepal Electrictiy Authority (NEA) says high-voltage current was transmitted from a transformer, which was damaged by a thunderstorm earlier in the day. "It was an accident," says NEA branch chief Gopalchandra Khatiwada.
However, locals say the accident occurred as NEA failed to replace old wooden poles with metal poles. "Some 10 wooden poles remain broken for a long time," says Krishna Prasad. "We had asked NEA to repalce them. But they did not pay attention to our concerns, which also led to the accident."
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