Two die from electrocution as strong winds, rain lash the national capital

 A tree felled by gusty winds in R.K. Puram on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Two men died from electrocution on Sunday morning in south-west Delhi’s R.K. Puram Sector 1 after a tree, uprooted by rain and strong winds, collapsed onto an overhead power line, the police said. The deceased, Ravinder, 30, and Bharat, 25, who worked at a roadside food kiosk and were natives of Madhubani, Bihar, were sleeping outside the outlet when the incident occurred. A stray dog also died from the electric shock.

The police received a PCR call about the incident around 4.30 a.m. A large tree had fallen due to the storm, snapping a live power line. The current passed through the wet ground on which the two were resting. Fire brigade, BSES, and police teams rushed to the scene and took the victims to the AIIMS Trauma Centre, where they were declared dead on arrival, said a senior officer.

An official comment from the BSES was awaited at the time of going to press.

Sunil Kumar, the kiosk owner and eyewitness to the tragedy, blamed the Delhi government’s Power Department for the loss of lives. “We had raised several complaints about the dangling wires. A storm hit, the tree fell, the wires snapped, and two lives were lost. We were all sleeping on the footpath last night,” he said.

Senior Aam Aadmi Party leader Somnath Bharti attacked the Delhi government over the deaths. He also raised concerns about a cell phone tower falling in Safdarjung Enclave. “It’s sheer luck the mobile tower did not fall on anyone’s house,” he said.

When reached for comment, the Delhi government did not respond.

The storm also brought relief from the severe heatwave. The Safdarjung weather station recorded 42 mm of rain. It recorded the maximum temperature at 35.6 degrees Celsius, 3.2 degrees below normal, and the minimum at 20 degrees Celsius, 7.5 degrees below the normal for this time of the year.

The India Meteorological Department has issued a ‘yellow alert’, urging residents to stay indoors due to the likelihood of thunderstorms and strong winds over the next three days.