Boy playing with broom comes in contact with high-voltage power line in Bengaluru, critical | Bengaluru News
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Bengaluru: What began as a harmless game turned into a tragedy in KR Puram on Monday evening, leaving a 10-year-old boy battling for his life with severe burns.Anant, the son of a Nepalese couple working as domestic helpers, had just returned from school and was playing in the passage outside his home on the third floor of a four-storey building at Ayyappa Nagar, off Devasandra Main Road in Virgonagar. With no one else at home, he picked up a dust broom and began tossing it into the air in a carefree moment of play.But in a split second, the broom made contact with a high-voltage power line, just eight feet away from the building, far closer than the regulation permit. What followed was a loud explosion that shook the neighbourhood and sparked a fire that quickly spread through the building. “I heard a loud thud and thought it was a bomb blast,” said a resident. “When we rushed to the spot, we saw smoke and flames. It was terrifying.“Unknown to those downstairs, the blast had severely injured Anant. In agony, he ran back into the house and tried to douse the flames on his body using water from a bathroom bucket. His cries for help soon alerted neighbours, who rushed up to find him severely injured and struggling to breathe.With no ambulance immediately available, locals placed the boy in an autorickshaw and rushed him first to the KR Puram govt hospital. Doctors referred him to Victoria Hospital’s burns ward where he remains in critical condition. “It’s heartening to see how the boy tried to save himself,” a police officer said. “But his condition is extremely serious.”The tragedy has sparked outrage, especially over the close proximity of the 220 kV Bescom line to the residential building. According to safety norms, high-tension wires should be at least five metres away from any structure, but this one hung barely eight feet away. Officials say the fire was caused by a short circuit following the broom’s contact with the wire.Despite the severity of the incident, Anant’s family has not filed a complaint yet. His mother Tulavor and uncle Dev told police that they are currently focused on the boy’s survival.The fire’s impact extended beyond Anant’s home. The building, which houses two hotels and a petty shop on the ground floor, and residential units on the upper floors, suffered significant damage.Dalit Chaluvali Nagesh from Samatha Sainik Dal (SSD) said: “I was close to the building when the blast happened. The portion of the building was under fire. The impact was such that the wirings, household articles of all the houses in the building, two hotels and a petty shop on the ground floor have been gutted. The refrigerators and TV in a few houses were also burnt due to short circuits. We are planning to protest against the authorities Wednesday.“Meanwhile, Bescom authorities have communicated to police that there was no negligence from their side.
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