A 56-year-old man and his two sons were electrocuted when they came in contact with a live electricity cable that fell on their sugarcane field at Yakkunchi village in Athani taluk on Tuesday.
Bhimshi Lakshman Gadade and his sons Muttanna, 27, and Jyotiba, 25, are the dead. Shivaji, another son of Gadade, who suffered severe injuries, has been shifted to a hospital in Miraj for treatment.
Police said the cable fell in the afternoon when the trio was busy ploughing the field. A pair of oxen that first came in contact with the wire experienced shocks and ran away. Shivaji ran behind them and escaped with injuries.
Bhimshi and Jyotiba died on the spot, while Muttanna succumbed to injuries during treatment at the Athani hospital.
The police had a tough time controlling the enraged villagers who blamed the authorities of the Hubli Electricity Supply Company for the incident. They besieged officials who visited the spot and demanded action against those responsible. Aigali police have registered a case.
