Young man, 20, dies after getting electrocuted in Khyber Gojal, locals hold PWD responsible
GOJAL: Rahat Karim, 20, lost his life today after getting electrocuted in Khyber village of Sub-Division Gojal, District Hunza.
Family sources told Pamir Times that Rahat Karim had climbed on a Poplar tree to chop branches when a low-hanging high-voltage transmission line moved due to the wind, touching the tree, and electrocuting the deceased. Karim was thrown off the tree and after hitting the ground he lost his life on the spot.
Family members and residents of Khyber are holding the GB Power and Works Department (PWD) responsible for the tragic incident. They accuse the Department of not paying any heed to their constant complaints regarding the risk posed by the low-hanging high-voltage wires passing through settlements.
Locals have in the past submitted multiple applications to the Department to shift the dangerous wires away from the settled area.
Enraged locals have accused PWD of risking the lives and properties of the village’s residents through ‘ill planning, inefficiency and disregard for human lives.’
The wires, carrying electricity from a powerhouse in Khyber to Hunza, had killed a laborer belonging to Chilas last year. After the laborer’s death, the locals had formally requested the authorities to shift the transmission lines away from the settled areas. However, despite of promises, the PWD officials did not act in time.
