Yangon’s Electricity Supply Committee says an employee who died clearing cables on Saturday evening had not informed them of his plans, so they were unable to shut off the power supply.
Kyaw Soe Win, 30, was electrocuted as he attempted to fix tangled wires on the corner of Aung Ta Man and May Dar Wi Streets, in Hlaing Thayar Township, the Voice reported.
An official with the local branch of YESC told the newspaper the victim, who lived in the area, had not told them what he intended to do.
“He was on a ladder to clear the cables,” said Myint Aung, deputy officer at Hlaing Thayar police station. “A cable got an electric shock when he was clearing, then he was electrocuted.”
His death is the latest of a series of electrocutions around the city since the start of monsoon season in May. The Yangon Regional Police Force said there have been more than 50 cases.
The city’s electrical supply is notoriously dangerous. The streets are dotted with ugly meshes of tangled overhead wires. A teenager was killed in May after stepping into a puddle that hid fallen wires.
Reader Interactions