In a devastating incident on the banks of the Alaknanda river, a transformer explosion near a sewage treatment plant resulted in the loss of fifteen lives, including six police officers. The incident has left the local community in shock and mourning, as authorities work to determine the cause of the explosion.
The tragedy unfolded when a call was received regarding the death of a watchman due to electrocution. Police officers promptly responded to the scene and discovered that a total of 21 individuals had been electrocuted and suffered severe injuries. The injured were immediately transported to a nearby hospital for urgent medical attention. Tragically, fifteen people succumbed to their injuries, while the remaining individuals remain in critical condition.
Pramendra Dobhal, the superintendent of police in Chamoli, expressed his deep condolences.
"We got a call from the village that a watchman had died of electrocution. When the police went to check, they found that 21 people had been electrocuted and severely injured. Fifteen people died in the hospital, and the rest are critical," Dobhal stated.
The loss of six police officers further compounds the tragedy, highlighting the risks faced by those serving to protect their communities.
The cause of the transformer explosion remains unknown at this time, and authorities are launching a comprehensive investigation to uncover the factors that led to this unfortunate event. Pushkar Singh Dhami, the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, has ordered a thorough inquiry to determine the root cause of the incident and to prevent similar accidents in the future.
"For those severely injured, we are taking the help of helicopters to refer them to higher centers," Dhami emphasized.
The timing of the accident coincides with the monsoon season, which has brought heavy rainfall and led to a significant rise in water levels in rivers across the region. The impact of the monsoons on the transformer's malfunction is yet to be determined, and investigators will likely examine this aspect during their inquiry. The region has already witnessed heavy floods, resulting in the loss of over 100 lives in the past three weeks.
This unfortunate incident serves as a grim reminder of the dangers posed by electrocution incidents in India. In April, a similar tragedy occurred during a Hindu festival procession in southern India, where eleven individuals lost their lives after their truck made contact with an overhead power line.
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