A 55-year-old woman and her daughter have died as a result of an electrical accident, which occurred due to wire snap. The incident occurred at St. Peter Clavers Junction, Nnewichi, Nnewi area of Anambra State. Both mother and daughter were electrocuted last week while in their shop after a high tension wire fell on the roof of the shop.
The management of Enugu Electrical Distribution Company (EEDC) in a statement by the Head of Communication, Emeka Ezeh, yesterday described the incident as unfortunate. He said: “The management has conveyed its condolences to the family of the victims during a condolence visit to the family last weekend by representatives of the company led by the Head of Health, Safety & Environment, Francis Iwu.”
According to Ezeh, the situation would not have occurred if people adhered to all the publicity and sensitisation efforts by the company on the hazards of erecting structures, trading or carrying out business activities under the power line Right-of-Way.
“In this very incident that occurred in Anambra, the victim put up a makeshift shop made of a metallic container, directly under the High Tension (HT) line, which was why the victims were caught up and electrocuted.
“The fact is that we wouldn’t have lost these lives if they were not under the power line”, Ezeh lamented.
He explained that the power line Right-of-Way is the mapped out corridor for Distribution and Transmission power lines and as a precautionary safety measure, these mandatory clearance levels are to be observed and adhered to by members of the public when putting up structures.
Ezeh states: “As a matter of fact, in compliance with the directive issued by the Nigerian Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) to Distribution Companies (DISCOs) instructing them to disconnect power supply to all structures, buildings and premises that are in violation of the power line right-of-way (ROW), EEDC has since commenced disconnection of erring properties within its network.”
He affirmed that EEDC is in full liaison with relevant government agencies to ensure this directive is carried out effectively.