Apata area of Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria was thrown into mourning today as Power Holding
Company of Nigeria, PHCN, electric cable which fell from an electric pole
electrocuted six people.
The seventh victim, however, survived and she is receiving treatment at a
hospital.
Among the electrocuted was a pregnant woman and her mother. Their corpses,
according to sources, have been deposited at a morgue within the city.
Mrs. Afusatu Abiade, the only survivor of the incident which happened at the
Agbekoya Market, was seriously injured. She had burns from shoulders to her
legs.
She lives at Omi-Adio area of Ibadan. “I came to
the market around 5.30 a.m. to sell vegetables. I had started selling when I
heard a loud sound and the electric wire sparked, caught fire and cut off from
the pole.
“While trying to escape, the wire hit me and threw me down. That was all I
knew till I found myself at the hospital.”
The woman, who was placed on admission at the Garden of Eden Hospital
situated at the Aba-Alamu area of Apata, thanked God that she survived the
incident. According to her, she saw the corpses of those affected being carried
away.
One of her sons, Matthew Adewale, said though they were born Muslims, they
had converted to Christianity, saying this may have been his mother’s saving
grace.
The doctor on duty, Dr. Fidelis Okorion, said though he was not around when
the incident happened, he was told that all the victims were brought to the
hospital but that the doctors tried their best but could only save one of
them.
He said two of the victims of the incident were dead on arrival while the
other four died at the hospital.
The people of the area told reporters that they had made several
complaints to PHCN about the congestion of the poles, stressing that the
incident was not the first.
As at the time of this report, the police had cordoned off the area.
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