Girl dies from electrocution
A 12-year-old girl has died in Blantyre’s Ndirande Township after being electrocuted on Monday.
Police say the girl, identified as Asiya Makoka, got electrocuted when she accidentally hang clothes on an electricity line from an illegally tapped supply.
“The girl was washing clothes and tried to hang some clothes on the line not knowing it was a line tapping electricity from another house. She got electrocuted because the plastic cover on the line got damaged, exposing live wires,” explained Blantyre Police spokesperson Elizabeth Divala.
Divala said the girl was pronounced dead on arrival at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), but, post-mortem did not take place as relatives of the deceased reportedly rushed to bury the body.
The deceased came from Mlambe Village, Traditional Authority (T/A) Chiwalo in Phalombe.
Meanwhile, Electricity Supply Corporation of Malawi (Escom) has advised the public to avoid illegal connections to avoid endangering people’s lives and property.
Escom public relations officer George Mituka said even though they are not aware of the incident, they sympathise with the family following the loss.
He said cases of illegal connections are rampant, but the corporation is putting in place stringent measures to curb the malpractice.
According to Electricity Act 22 of 2004 Section 45-46, anyone found dealing in illegal electricity connections is liable to pay a fine of K5 million (about $7 764) and serve a jail term of 10 years imprisonment with hard labour(IHL).
Still in Blantyre, police have arrested a 42 year old man identified as Jambo Jambo for allegedly being found in possession of 40 bags of Indian hemp.
Divala said Jambo, who was driving a lorry registration number LA 4264, was arrested at an ad-hock road block on the Blantyre-Chikwawa road.
He will appear in court soon to answer a change of being found in possession of Indian Hemp, according to Divala.
He hails from Jambo village in the area of Traditional Authority Mbenje in Nsanje.
