Malappuram (Keralam) | A 13-year-old boy died of electrocution after coming into contact with a snapped stay wire connected to an electricity pole in a paddy field near his house in this district on Sunday, police said.
Police identified the deceased as Junaid, son of Shihabudheen, a native of Cherumukku in Tirurangadi.
Police said Junaid went to the paddy field with friends to watch a tractor ploughing the land.
The boys had gathered there on the holiday when Junaid came into contact with a broken stay wire lying on the ground.
The wire was reportedly in contact with an overhead power line, causing the boy to suffer a fatal electric shock, police said.
Residents told reporters that several stay wires in the area had remained damaged and in an unsafe condition for years. They also alleged that electricity lines in the locality were hanging at dangerously low heights.
The paddy field is frequented by farmers and people who go fishing there, both during and outside the cultivation season, residents said.
They said Junaid's friends had attempted to rescue him after he suffered the electric shock, but the tractor driver stopped them from approaching the wire, thereby preventing them from suffering a similar fate.
Residents also alleged that Kerala State Electricity Board officials took time to disconnect the power supply despite repeated calls for assistance.
The incident triggered protests by residents, who accused KSEB officials of serious negligence.
The body was shifted to the mortuary of Tirurangadi taluk hospital, police said.
