Correspondent
Shillong, Jul 16: Three children were electrocuted after a live high-voltage power line snapped and fell in Meghalaya’s Ri Bhoi district on Wednesday, drawing fresh attention to the state’s poor power maintenance, officials said on Thursday.
The tragic incident occurred at Umtangling village under Umiam Police Station when the children came into contact with an 11 kV overhead line that had snapped and fallen to the ground. All three died on the spot.
Among the victims were two siblings aged 11 and 12 years, Bok Nongbsap, the village chief of Umtangling, said.
Nongbsap said that he had previously alerted the Meghalaya Energy Corporation Limited (MeECL) regarding the deteriorating condition of the power lines in their area, but the MeECL turned a deaf ear to our complaint.
“The power line that snapped was located close to the section that had earlier been flagged as unsafe. Had they (MeECL) acted, such a tragic incident could have been averted,” he observed.
Nongbsap said the villagers have faced nearly a week of electricity disruptions attributed to a faulty transformer.
Meanwhile, residents are now demanding a thorough investigation into the incident and immediate preventive measures to avert similar tragedies in the future.
Friday, July 17, 2026