Maharashtra Couple, 2 Children Electrocuted While Trying To Save Each Other Amid Rain

A family of four was electrocuted to death in Maharashtra's Satara district early Wednesday after they came in contact with a live electric wire. The incident took place in Khamgaon village in Phaltan taluka between 5:30 am and 6 am. The four died one after another, trying to save each other. 

Satish alias Pisuradya Kisan Shinde (45), who lived near a private English-medium school in Khamgaon, first came in contact with a live electric wire outside his house, according to the police. Seeing him electrocuted, his wife, Gangubai Shinde, 40, their son, Sachin Shinde, 26, and daughter Aarti Shinde, 24, rushed to rescue him. However, they too came in contact with the live wire and were electrocuted.

All four died on the spot.

"Preliminary probe suggests that a cable snapped and became live upon touching an overhead power line," said Satara Superintendent of Police Nikhil Pingle.

After receiving information about the incident, Phaltan Rural Police reached the spot and conducted a preliminary investigation. The bodies were later sent to Phaltan Sub-District Hospital for post-mortem.

A Phaltan police official said, "It is suspected that one person was electrocuted after coming in contact with the wire, and the other family members rushed to rescue him and also suffered an electric shock."

Police are now investigating how the wire outside the house became live, what caused the accident, and whether any negligence was involved. The exact cause of the incident will be known after the investigation is completed.

Police have registered an accidental death report in this case.

In a separate incident, a 20-year-old college student, Vedant Sawant, died after suffering an electric shock inside his home in Nalasopara on Saturday. His death has pushed the monsoon-related electrocution death count in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) to six in one week. 

As electrocution cases continue to rise during the monsoon, the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL) has issued a public safety advisory, urging people to be extra careful around electrical equipment and power lines.

The advisory urges people not to touch wet electrical appliances or use electrical devices with wet hands. It also recommends switching off the main power supply if water enters electrical areas and using only ISI-certified electrical products.

(With inputs from Rahul Tapase)