Electrocuted while cleaning sewer; two dead, 1 injured

Two men died  due to electrocution and one sustained injuries when they were clearing a sewer blockage with a lengthy iron rod at a four-storied building in Marthahalli on Thursday afternoon.

The deceased were Veerappa (75) landlord of the building and Mohan Samantha (30), a construction supervisor. Babban, another construction worker sustained burns, the police said. Both Samantha and Babban were native of West Bengal while Veerappa was a resident of Sapthagiri Layout in Marthahalli, the police added.

According to police, the incident  took place at around 3.30 pm. Veerappa was looking for someone to repair a  sewage blockage in one of the houses on the first floor. He asked a few labourers working at a neighbouring  under-construction building to clear the blockage.

Samantha who was the supervisor came along with Babban to Veerappa's building and the trio was trying to clean the blockage by using a long iron rod used for making iron beams for concrete laying.

They were cleaning the chamber at the rear side of the building, while the other end of the iron rod accidentally came in contact with a high tension live wire killing Samantha on the spot and Babban was tossed to a distance.

Veerappa who went to rescue Samantha touched the victim and got electrocuted, the police said.

The Marathahalli police have registered a case of unnatural death and have shifted the bodies to Vydehi Hospital for postmortem.