22 injured as power line breaks, falls on houses

"A 1,000-metre long, high tension power line melted and fell in a residential area in Khajuri Khas in east Delhi last (Wednesday) night," a fire department official told IANS.
"As it fell, people sitting outside their houses got injured, clothes hanging outside caught fire, and parts of their houses got burnt," he added.

"We got a call at 7.55 p.m. We sent one fire tender. By then the Police Control Room was also informed and ambulances arrived at the scene to take the injured to the hospital," the official added.

"Of the 22 people injured, six were children," he said. All have been admitted to the Guru Tegh Bahadur Hospital.

It was not yet clear how the wire melted.Delhi Chief Secretary P.K. Tripathi said that the houses were right under the high tension wire which is dangerous.

"It is difficult to shift the high tension wire from one place to another place as the government will have to consult the UP (Uttar Pradesh) government. People illegally occupy land and that too beneath the high tension wire,” said Tripathi, adding an official has been sent to the spot to inquire into the reason for the incident.