A 65-year-old man lost his life on Friday afternoon in Ganjbasoda, located in the Vidisha district of Madhya Pradesh, after coming into contact with an 11kV high-tension power line while leaning over to spit gutkha from his balcony.
The fatal incident occurred while the elderly resident was standing on his third-floor balcony. Witnesses noted that an active overhead high-tension electricity cable ran dangerously close to the building's exterior, leaving little margin for error when leaning over the railing.
According to initial reports, as he leaned forward to spit, he accidentally brushed against the live 11,000-volt transmission wire. The contact triggered an immediate, powerful electrical surge that was accompanied by a loud bang heard throughout the neighborhood.
Local residents and family members rushed to assist after hearing the explosion, finding the victim severely burned from the massive electrical shock. Emergency services and local police were immediately alerted to the scene.
Authorities transported the man to a nearby hospital, where attending physicians officially declared him dead on arrival. Local police have initiated an inquiry into the incident, focusing on the close proximity of overhead high-voltage lines to residential buildings.