At least 15 people , including a policeman, were electrocuted to death after a transformer exploded on the banks of river Alaknanda in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district on Wednesday. Latest reports say that the mishap took place at a Namami Gange site in the district. Several people have suffered grievous injuries and are being treated at district hospital, local police said. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has ordered a judicial probe into the mishap. The transformer was kept on the banks of Alaknanda and was being used for ongoing work of the Namami Gange project.
Local reports say that some people noticed a spark in the transformer and before anybody could react, it exploded. According to news agency ANI, Pipalkoti outpost in-charge was among those who died in the mishap. Some reports also say that due to inclement weather, the power supply was severely affected in Chamoli. Though it has not been officially confirmed, reports say that those who lost their lives were working to resume power supply in the area.
CM Dhami said that chopper is ferrying those grievously injured to AIIMS Rishikesh. Teams of SDRF have been dispatched to Chamoli. Some reports say that the ongoing work of the Namami Gange Project did not adhere to safety protocols. Initially, there were reports of death of one policeman in the mishap. Now, Uttarakhand Additional DGP V Murugesan has confirmed that five home guards and a police sub-inspector died in the disaster. ‘There was current in the railing,” Murugesan was quoted as saying by news agency ANI. Further probe will reveal the sequence of events.
Uttarakhand has been facing inclement weather since the onset of monsoon. Ever since the confluence of the western disturbances and the monsoon during early July, the hill state has witnessed record rains, flash floods and cloudbursts. On Wednesday, a bridge was washed away due to cloudburst in Pithoragarh.