Electrocution kills Five workers, injure four in Rivers

An electrocution accident in the Rimuosi community of Rivers State, Monday, claimed the lives of five people while four sustained injuries.

The accident reportedly occured while the workers were trying to mount a billboard with a metal frame along the Obiri-Ikwerre area in Rumuosi community of State.

According to reports, “the team of nine was mounting the billboard with a metal frame, which conducted electric current when it touched the high-tension cable.

“The electric current gripped and shocked five of them to death, while four others were seriously injured.”

Metals are good conductors of electricity. This is because the electrons are free to move in a network of the metal atom. So because of the “Sea of Electrons”, these electrons do not belong to just one atom but move freely about the metal’s network which makes them great conductors of heat and electricity.

Also, when working with metals or electricity outdoor, it is pertinent to note that metals are not only excellent conductors of electricity but also of heat. Their atoms form a matrix through which outside electrons can easily move. So instead of orbiting their individual atoms, they generate a sea of electrons around the positive nuclei of the interacting metal ions.

Sources said the four injured victims were quickly rushed to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) where they received treatment.

Meanwhile, officials of the Rivers State Signage and Advertising Agency have sealed the building of the church that owns the billboard, along Obiri-Ikwerre, while the billboard is still at the site.

An official of the Agency told newsmen that the area has been cordoned off pending further investigation.

The managing director of the Agency, Tony Okeha, revealed that workers were mounting the billboard without approval.

He reiterated the Agency’s displeasure with illegal erection of billboards and other advertising materials while stating that the victims acted illegally.

He said: “They do not have any approval from the agency. We have spent time warning people against illegal activities such as this one. We regret what has happened, but this will serve as a deterrent that people should learn how to do things the proper way.

“The Agency regulates what billboard structures should be erected, where and whether it will cause visual blindness or accident and all such consequences. We go out every day to remove illegal structures because of where they are erected and because of the low standard.”

Okeha warned those mounting billboards without the agency’s authorisation to stop, as defaulters would be penalised.

“This costs the agency a whole lot because we have to hire equipment to carry out this enforcement. If you must practice advertising, you must go the right way. They must be certified, and they must concern themselves with the rules and regulations,” he said.

Meanwhile, the four people who survived the electrocution have left the hospital.

A hospital source said one of them, Diabo Umar, left immediately after he was resuscitated and declined admission.

However, the whereabouts of other survivors are still unknown while the remains of the deceased persons have been deposited in the mortuary.

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