Eight women electrocuted in Haryana, four injured (Lead, Changing dateline)

NUH - Eight women, including two girls, were electrocuted and four others were injured in a Haryana village Saturday morning when a high-tension wire fell on the vehicle in which they were travelling, police said.

The victims were on a tractor-trolley when they came in contact with loose high-tension electricity wires while travelling in their vehicle. The wires fell on the women.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda expressed shock and grief over the tragedy.

He announced an ex-gratia of Rs.300,000 to the next of kin of each of the deceased and Rs.50,000 each to the injured.

“The deceased women had taken a lift in a tractor-trolley. There were some high tension power wires on their way. One of the women tried to adjust the wires with a sickle and was electrocuted. The other women tried to save her but were also electrocuted,” said a police official here.

Three other girls and a boy were also injured in the accident and were rushed to Nuh town for medical treatment. Two of those who suffered serious injuries, were referred for treatment to New Delhi.

Mewat Deputy Commissioner C.R. Rana said that all the injured were out of danger.

“As the power line wires were loose and the incident occurred because of dereliction of duty, a case has been registered against the power utilities. The power utilities would also give compensation for the deceased on the basis of their age within a week,” Rana added.

The vehicle was passing through Kherla village near Nuh town of Mewat district, around 50 km south of Gurgaon, when the accident took place.