3 Men Die After Iron Pole Touches Power Line in Onitsha

(Iron Pole. Photo by Anambra People Magazine)
Three men died in Onitsha, Anambra State, on Monday when an iron pole fell onto an 11kV power line.

The men were trying to put up the pole for a water tank at a compound on Old Port Harcourt Road in Fegge.

The pole was part of a borehole job that a contractor was doing for the owner of a two storey building.

The three men were on the contractor's team.

They were electrocuted on the spot.

Police from Fegge Division took the bodies to the General Hospital in Onitsha.

The building owner, Mr Steven, is helping the police with their investigation.

The men have been named as Chukwudi Ukwa, Frank Okafor and Somadina Nwabuike.

FirstPower Electricity Distribution Company said metal objects can carry current when they touch a live line, even if no one touches the wire itself.

It said it will keep running safety awareness campaigns in markets, motor parks, schools and communities.

It also warned people not to put buildings, stalls, scaffolding or water tanks under power lines, and asked residents to report any such activity.