Electrocutions are so common in Yangon during this year’s rainy season that they are happening almost daily, a police officer has told the Voice, speaking out after a spate of deaths in the past week.
“There are over 50 cases of electrocution in Yangon in May and people are dying because of this almost every day,” the officer, who was not quoted by name, told the paper. “Electricity support teams are changing dangerous cables in respective townships and they are providing awareness about electricity.”
The officer said that the cases spiked after the rain started this month, and that most of them have to do with shoddy construction and broken cables.
Three people were electrocuted in Yangon on the same day last week, including a 16-year-old worker who stepped in a puddle on Bogyoke Road across the street from the Sakura Tower and the Sule Shangri-La Hotel.
The wires were removed from the pole a few days later and as of Sunday there appeared to be new electricity installations in place.
According to the Voice, there were 100 cases of electrocution in Yangon in 2015, meaning we are already on track to surpass the grim figure this year.
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