Four men installing signboard electrocuted in Shahdara

Victims suffer shock from 11,000kV line in darkness

LAHORE:

Four workers died on the spot after being electrocuted while installing a signboard on a shop's rooftop in Shahdara.

The incident occurred in the early hours of Wednesday on Daulat Khan Road when the workers were attempting to install the advertising board on the rooftop.

According to rescue officials, one of the workers accidentally touched an electrical wire, causing current to flow through the metal signboard and electrocuting all four men.

Three of the deceased were identified as 45-year-old Nadeem, 25-year-old Nouman and 26-year-old Muhammad Awais Haider. The fourth victim, aged approximately 25 years, could not be identified till the evening.

"Upon arrival at the scene, our teams found that all four individuals had already succumbed to electrocution," said a Rescue 1122 official.

"The bodies were shifted to the Mayo Hospital mortuary for legal formalities," he added.

According to the police report prepared by ASI Ghulam Hussain of Shahdara Police Station, the workers were attempting to install two advertising boards measuring about 17 feet in length and 13 feet in width. The incident occurred when the large signboard came into contact with a 11,000kV main transmission line while being hoisted onto the rooftop.

The police report indicates that the workers had brought the signboards from Karim Market the same night and were attempting to install them in darkness without proper coordination with the Lahore Electric Supply Company or obtaining necessary permits from the Parks and Horticulture Authority and Metropolitan Corporation Lahore.

The authorities dispelled a perception spread on social media that the electrocution had occurred while shopkeepers were removing signboards to avoid action.

"This accident has no relation with PERA Force operations," a clarification stated, referring to the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority. "The shopkeeper and workers were not removing signboards but were installing two new advertising boards without permits in the darkness of night."

The bodies of the identified victims were handed over to their families after completion of legal formalities.

The police said they were continuing investigations into the circumstances that had led to the incident.

Local authorities urged shopkeepers and contractors to ensure safety measures and obtain necessary approvals before installing any signage, particularly in areas with overhead electric supply lines.

Meanwhile, a the roof of an under-construction house collapsed near Bedian Road, resulting in the loss of two lives and leaving one person severely injured.