14 kids suffer burn injuries due to electrocution

Berhampur: Fourteen children between the age group of 7 and 12 years sustained critical burn injuries after they came in contact with live wire during a Ramayana stage show at Phasiguda village in Digapahandi tehsil of Ganjam district.

All of them were immediately rushed to Digapahandi Community Health Centre (CHC). Later, seven of them were shifted to MKCG Medical College and Hospital in Berhampur as their condition deteriorated.

The villagers had organised the stage show in view of a ‘yagna’ for Grama Devati (village goddess), according to Sankarshan Behera, a villager. However, the Ramayana show stopped following a brief spell of rain.

These children crawled under the stage and took shelter beneath the stage to escape from getting drenched. There were huge wires under the stage and many connections of the electric wires were reportedly left open. They were electrocuted after they came in contact with the live wire. Villagers rushed to rescue them after the children raised an alarm.

The children, who sustained burn injuries, include Sambhu Biswal, Akash Das, Rudra Pradhan, Ganesh Pradhan, Chandan Biswal, Silpa Das and others. They all belong to Phasiguda.

The members of the Youth Association in the village and the Sarpanch called 108 ambulance and rushed them to Digapahandi CHC.

Berhampur Sub-Collector Dheenat Dastangar said she has asked the officials concerned to inquire into the cause of the incident. “Action would be taken against the persons found guilty,” she said.

Ramesh Chandra Sethi, the Additional SP (Berhampur), said the police will also conduct a separate inquiry into the incident.