Two college girls were hospitalised after receiving an electric shock from an exposed underground power cable hidden beneath rainwater on the Mumbai-bound carriageway of the Sion-Panvel Highway near the Nerul flyover on Wednesday afternoon.
The incident occurred around 1 pm and could have turned fatal had a nearby autorickshaw driver not acted promptly.
The victims, identified as Ujjwala Wagh (18) and Shubhangi Nalawade (16), are residents of Shiravane village in Nerul and students of People’s Education Society High School and Junior College in CBD Belapur.
According to officials, the two students were returning home from college by bus. After alighting at a bus stop near a sweet shop on the highway, they attempted to cross the waterlogged road to reach the footpath. Holding each other’s hands, they walked through the accumulated rainwater when they came into contact with an exposed underground electrical cable and collapsed unconscious due to the electric shock.
The girls were rescued by autorickshaw driver Pravin Mahale, who was waiting at a nearby traffic signal. Realising that the water was electrified, he used a tree branch to pull the girls away from the live current before, with the assistance of a traffic constable, shifting them to safety. They were immediately rushed to Dr D. Y. Patil Hospital in Nerul, where doctors administered emergency treatment and stabilised their condition.
After regaining consciousness, the girls were visited by Navi Mumbai Mayor Sujata Patil, who directed that they be shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) Hospital for further observation.
In the aftermath of the incident, a joint inspection was conducted by the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited (MSEDCL), officials from the NMMC Electrical Department, and the Assistant Electrical Inspector from Thane.
During the inspection, an exposed underground electrical cable was found near the central road divider. MSEDCL has submitted its inspection report to the Assistant Electrical Inspector for further investigation.
Recounting the rescue, autorickshaw driver Pravin Mahale said that a traffic constable initially tried to lift one of the girls but suffered a mild electric shock on touching her. “We realised the area was live because of an exposed electrical wire. I then used a tree branch to move the girls’ bags away and, along with the traffic constable, pulled both girls out of the water before taking them to the hospital,” Mahale said.
Authorities are now examining the circumstances that led to the exposed underground cable remaining hazardous amid the waterlogging on the busy highway.
