At least 16 dead, 7 injured after transformer explosion in India
July 19 (UPI) -- A power transformer exploded at the Namami Gange project site in India's Uttarakhand Chamoli District on Wednesday, killing at least people 16 by electrocution and injuring several others.
Authorities said the incident happened just before noon near the Chamboli sewage treatment plant on the banks of the Alaknanda River. While the incident remained under investigation, authorities said that "electricity circulation on a metal railing" caused the deaths and injuries.
A medical helicopter transported two of those injured to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Rishikesh while doctors admitted the other five to a hospital in Gopeshwar.
The incident happened after days of rain in Uttarakhand, causing the water level along the Alaknanda River to rise and forcing officials to release additional water from a hydroelectric dam at Srinagar in the Pauri district.
"It is a sad incident," chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said. "[The] district administration, police, and SDRF have reached the spot. Orders have been given to conduct a Magisterial inquiry."
The State Emergency Operation Center cautioned the district magistrates of Pauri, Tehri, Haridwar and Dehradun to use care in the area affected by the heavy rains and ordered people to stay away from the riverbanks.
