A Bahawalnagar electrocution has killed three members of the same family after a high-voltage 11kV transmission line above their house snapped and fell on them in Fort Abbas, in the early hours of Saturday.
The victims were identified as 40-year-old Muhammad Boota, his wife Shazia, 35, and their son Salman, 15. They died on the spot.
Bahawalnagar electrocution: what happened in Chak 272/HR
A report issued by Rescue 1122, as reported by Dawn, stated that around 12:30am on November 7, an 11kV electricity line passing over a house in Chak 272/HR snapped and fell on three individuals inside, killing them instantly.
Fort Abbas station house officer Adnan Ali told Dawn that the three-member family worked at a brick kiln and lived in a small, makeshift house.
He said that in the early hours of Saturday, the power line fell on Salman, who was asleep in the courtyard. Hearing his cries, his parents, who were sleeping inside a room, tried to rescue him and were also electrocuted and killed on the spot.
Residents say warnings were ignored
Locals said the high-voltage cables were dilapidated and had been repaired in many areas, and complaints had been made several times to the local Multan Electric Power Company (Mepco) officials. However, they claimed that no action had been taken, resulting in this tragedy.
They urged that the negligent Mepco officials be held accountable through a transparent investigation.
The complaint is a familiar one in districts where power lines run low over homes. Cables age, repairs are patched, and complaints sit in files until a line snaps. In this case, the family that paid the price was among the poorest in the area: brick-kiln workers living in a makeshift house under a live high-voltage line.
Mepco disputes the account
When contacted, Mepco Bahawalnagar Superintending Engineer Khalid Sial claimed that no cable was broken or repaired, and said that Multan-based investigation teams were on their way to the location to look into the matter.
His denial sits uneasily against the account of the residents and the Rescue 1122 report, which recorded the time of the incident and the cause. The investigation teams now travelling from Multan will have to settle a basic question: was the line that fell in a condition that should have been fixed before Saturday night?
A distribution network under strain
The tragedy lands as the power distribution system faces pressure on several fronts. Distribution companies have sought tariff increases, with Discos asking for a Rs1.34 per unit hike from December, while the regulator has been hearing their cases, including a Punjab power firm’s tariff hike plea. At the same time, consumers have seen fuel adjustments adding to their bills, with NEPRA approving a Rs2.36 per unit fuel cost adjustment, though the Power Division capped September electricity bills after fuel price adjustments.
Money is being argued over at the top of the system while, at the bottom, a family in Fort Abbas lived under a cable that residents say was visibly failing. The two facts belong in the same story. A network that cannot maintain its oldest lines cannot keep its promises to the people who live beneath them.
The investigation must now answer for the three deaths, and for the complaints that residents say were made and ignored. Until it does, every similar line over every similar house in the district carries the same risk.
Frequently asked questions
What happened in Bahawalnagar?
Around 12:30am on November 7, an 11kV power line snapped and fell on a house in Chak 272/HR, Fort Abbas. Three members of a family were electrocuted.
Who were the victims?
Muhammad Boota, 40, his wife Shazia, 35, and their son Salman, 15. The family worked at a brick kiln and lived in a small makeshift house.
What do residents say caused the tragedy?
Residents say the high-voltage cables were dilapidated, had been repaired in many areas, and that they had complained several times to Mepco officials without action.
What has Mepco said?
Mepco Bahawalnagar Superintending Engineer Khalid Sial claimed no cable was broken or repaired, and said investigation teams from Multan were on their way to the site.
