Mumbai: A 14-year-old boy was electrocuted while trying to click a selfie on Sunday afternoon around 3.30 pm, on the roof of a Western Railway slow local, according to railway officials and commuters. The incident occurred as the train was about to leave Ram Mandir station, located between Jogeshwari and Goregaon railway stations.
The minor was initially rushed to Siddharth Hospital in Goregaon and later, in view of his injuries, to the civic-run BYL Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central, where his condition is reported to be serious. A railway official said, “He was reportedly taking a selfie on a stationary train when he accidentally touched the overhead wire, which had 25,000 volts of current passing through it.”
A commuter said there was a huge spark when the victim was hit by the 25,000V current while atop the train. “I was waiting on the platform when I suddenly heard a loud noise. On looking up I saw a boy had been electrocuted and smoke emanating from his body. Railway personnel rushed the victim to the nearest hospital,” he said.
One of the boy’s relatives said that they were unaware of his whereabouts. “We received a call from his friends about the incident and that he had been admitted to Siddharth Hospital, Goregaon,” he said. Doctors at Siddharth Hospital said that when the patient was brought to hospital, he had 90 per cent burns; so they immediately shifted him to BYL Nair Hospital in Mumbai Central. “He has suffered 90 per cent burns and is being treated with antibiotics.
Moreover, he has been administered an injection to reduce chances of an infection,” said doctor. According to a railway official, “Everyday, we put out messages and announcements to caution people, asking them not to travel on the footboard or climb the roof of trains but people continue to do so in violation of the Railway Act.”
