Young boy loses both hands after live wire falls on him

KARACHI: Both arms of an eight-year-old boy had to be amputated by doctors due to severe burns he had sustained after an 11,000-Volt electrical wire fell on him in Ahsanabad Sector-4 off Superhighway where he was playing last Saturday.

Taking action after parents’ complaint and notice of the governor Sindh, police arrested seven employees of K-Electric from their Gadap area office and shifted them to police station. They said the investigation was underway to determine the person(s) responsible for the incident.

Police said they will announce their later course of action after the ‘main culprit and person responsible for the incident surfaced.

After the incident, Umar was rushed to a hospital where doctors diagnosed that his arms were wasted because of severe burns.

Burns Center In-Charge Dr Ahmer said they tried their best to save the arms but to no avail. They had no option but to cut the forelimbs as they were critically burnt, he said.

Parents of the victim had decided to take legal course against the power utility for its sheer negligence.

Giving detailed account of the incident, father of the young boy said his kid was going to a shop from home when the 11 KV high tension wire fell on his hand and stuck with it, so he tried to detach it with the other hand and his both hands were stuck with the live wire.

He said people detached the wire using a bamboo. “When people hit the wire with the bamboo, it hit a dog and the dog died on the spot,” he said.

According to K-Electric’s spokesperson statement quoted in the section of media: “We extend our sympathies to the family. We are taking this matter seriously and remain available to extend support to the family, including medical expenses during this time and for further treatment/rehabilitation.”

A similar incident had taken place in Model Colony last year when another eighth-year-old boy, Azaan, had lost his life after being electrocuted from a current in the pole.