Woman dies due to electric shock in Mzuzu

A 21-year-old business woman died on Saturday due to electric shock, from Escom wire, that passed over a house she was staying in at Masasa location in Mzuzu.

Mzuzu Police Station, Deputy Public Relations Officer (PRO), Paul Tembo said the deceased, Flora Peter Soko stayed in non-electrified  house,  but  the Escom  wire which is connected to neighbour’s house, Mr chinthochi  passed  over the roof of the house she rented.

He said on March 23, 2019,the deceased, washed her clothes and wanted to hang them on the rope which is also connected to her house.

Tembo said in the process she was pushed by electric shock and got unconscious.

“The house got electrocuted and the line she wanted to hang on clothes was electrocuted. The deceased washed her clothes and when she tried to hang them on a line she got electrocuted,

Her neighbour, Chrissy Amon, who saw the incident, thought Soko was Epileptic and rushed to rescue her but she got electrocuted as well,” he said. 

Amon said the deceased washed her clothes and wanted to hang on the rope, unfortunately she was electrocuted.

“I saw Flora hanging clothes on the line; surprisingly she fell on the ground. I thought she suffers from Epilepsy without knowing that it was a result of electric shock,” Amon said.

“I rushed to rescue her, but I was electrocuted after touching her. I then shouted for help and her (deceased) sister came from bathing room, when she touched her she too was pushed away,” she said.

Amon said this is when people around knew that the lady was not epileptic but it was electric shock.

“A business person, Antony Chisale, 48 was nearby and he rushed to cut the rope after seeing what happened.

Postmortem examination which was conducted revealed that death was due to electric shock.

Amon said Escom helped with a coffin and a vehicle to transport the funeral and people from Mzuzu City to Nsanje District which is the home district of the deceased.

Soko hailed from Kaitano village, Traditional Authority (TA) Mgabu in Chikwawa District.