16 electrocuted at Namami Gange project site in Uttarakhand

New Delhi: At least 16 people were electrocuted and seven injured on Wednesday at a sewage treatment plant of the Namami Gange project on the banks of Alaknanda river in Uttarakhand's Chamoli district.

Superintendent of Police (Chamoli) Pramendra Dobhal said the police went to the spot to prepare a report on the electrocution late on Tuesday of a person working on the project site. Around 11.30 am, a surge of electricity passed through a metal railing installed on the plant premises, killing 15 and injuring seven. It is still being ascertained how it happened, he added. Dobhal said police sub-inspector Pradeep Rawat and three home guard personnel were among the 15 people killed. Several of the victims died on the spot.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, who has left for the site to take stock of the situation and meet the victims' families, expressed grief. He has announced a magisterial inquiry and a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the kin of each victim and Rs 1 lakh each to the injured.