Saturday 27 / July / 2024
Muscat: An eight-year-old girl was electrocuted after she fell onto a live electrical wire in the wilayat of Ibra on Sunday, the Times of Oman has learnt.
Officials at both the Royal Oman Police (ROP) and the Public Authority for Civil Defence and Ambulance (PACDA) confirmed the incident.
“The incident took place at the victim’s house on Sunday. The victim touched the open wire and died on the spot. An investigation is underway into the circumstances of the incident,” said an ROP spokesperson, confirming that emergency services had been rushed to the site of the accident at the earliest.
No further details had been made available about the incident, and more information will be shared once the investigation has ended. The Times of Oman couldn’t reach out to the family of the deceased for a comment, but officials from the PACDA, who were among the first to rush to the scene to provide emergency medical care, asked people to exercise caution when near sources of electricity, a source of energy that is not normally felt until too late.
The official at PACDA said: “Electricity surrounds us everywhere and is very vital in our life. However, these electrical wires can be very dangerous if we don’t take the necessary safety precautions. It’s a must to cap electrical wires as they cause electrical shock if they are exposed. Also, unplug unused appliances and stow cards safely out of reach of young children and hazardous situations.”
“Keep all electrical appliances away from water such as sinks, bathtubs, pools or overhead vents that may drip,” added the official.
“Do not operate any electrical appliance with wet hands or while standing in water. Make sure that extension cords do not run under rugs or heavy furniture. Always use standard and quality material and don’t sacrifice your safety for substandard material just to save a little bit of money.”
He added: “Do not attach multiple appliances to power sockets so as not to overload the socket. Electrical work and maintenance should only be carried out by a qualified and authorised person.”
This is, unfortunately, not the first time that unsuspecting people in Oman have fallen victim to cases of electrocution.
In 2017, an expat died after suffering electric shocks when an electricity pole fell on him in the wilayat of Ibri. Emergency services and hospital staff tried in vain to save the man’s life after the pole fell on him
In 2015, a young Indian couple sadly committed suicide by electrocuting themselves at their residence in Al Jifnain in the wilayat of Bidbid. Their two-and-a-half-year-old toddler sustained minor injuries in the incident.
In 2012, a 41-year-old Bangladeshi was electrocuted at a hotel in Muttrah while cleaning a wet neon sign. In 2011, three Omanis were electrocuted in Jalan Bani Bu Ali while they were playing in rainwater near an electric pole.
