In a suspected case of electrocution in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, at least 16 people have died and another six have been injured, according to government officials.
The incident happened on Wednesday morning inside a sewage treatment facility in the Chamoli district of the Himalayan state as a part of a federal government flagship program that focuses on conserving the river Ganga.
According to officials, the dead included three Home Guard paramilitary members and a police officer. They claimed that the Home Guard members were believed to have died while attempting to save the police officer.
“We have received news of a grim incident in Chamoli district. A magisterial inquiry has been ordered,” said Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, according to Indian media reports.
He said emergency responders, including members of the State Disaster Response Force, were on the scene and that helicopters had been deployed to transfer the injured to larger hospitals.
“How the incident happened will only become clear after detailed inquiry but it seems, on the surface, to have happened due to electrocution,” said Himanshu Khurana, the Chamoli district magistrate.
The incident took place as a result of record-breaking monsoon rains that have raised the water levels in most rivers in northern India.
Over 100 people have died in the area in the past three weeks as a result of severe flooding.
11 people were electrocuted in April in southern India when their truck contacted an overhead power line while participating in a Hindu festival procession.
Source-Aljazeera
