T’puram: A 19-year-old youth was electrocuted after his bike hit a fallen electric post in Nedumangad on Saturday night. The deceased Akshay Suresh, a native of Panayamuttom, was a third-year degree student. Nedumangad police registered a case under Section 174 (Unnatural death) of CrPC and began a probe. Police said a tree fell onto an electric post, causing the wire to snap and fall across the road.According to police, the fatal incident occurred around 11.30pm, as Akshay and friends were returning home on his motorcycle after completing a catering job. The accident happened when a rubber tree, reportedly uprooted due to heavy rain and wind, fell onto an electric post, causing the post and live wires to collapse onto the road, police said.Unaware of the danger ahead, the bike ridden by Akshay hit the fallen post. According to preliminary police reports, Akshay died instantly after coming into contact with the live wire. His friends, Vinod and Amalnath, were injured and are under treatment.Eyewitnesses and locals alleged that the post was old and in a severely corroded condition, questioning whether poor infrastructure contributed to the tragedy. “The post was standing in a dangerously deteriorated state for years,” a local claimed.Akshay’s body was kept at Nedumangad district hospital and later shifted to Thiruvananthapuram medical college for a post-mortem examination. The body was handed over to relatives on Sunday evening.The police began a detailed investigation into the incident, while local authorities are expected to respond to growing public concerns over the condition of utility infrastructure in the area.The police also directed that the trees and electric posts that pose danger to pedestrians and motorists should be removed. A meeting was also called by the police with the locals and elected representatives on Monday.
