Man saves boy who suffered electric shock in waterlogged street in Arumbakkam

CHENNAI: A 30-year-old man risked his life to rescue a nine-year-old boy who suffered an electric shock after coming in contact with an electric wire in a waterlogged street in Arumbakkam. A CCTV clip of the incident went viral on social media on Saturday.

Kannan (30), who works as a salesman, was passing through 1st street, Maangali Nagar, Arumbakkam, when he noticed a boy wearing a uniform and a school bag lying on the waterlogged street. He rushed to the boy's aid and pulled him to safety.

Arumbakkam police said the incident happened on April 16 when the city received rain, leading to waterlogging in many areas.

"On getting close to the boy, I realised he was in contact with an electric wire and without any thought, I pulled him to safety. At that moment, I did not think of the consequences," Kannan told mediapersons.

The boy, Rayan, is undergoing treatment at a private hospital.

The Tamil Nadu Power Distribution and Corporation Ltd (TNPDCL), meanwhile, clarified that the power supply to the area was cut off immediately after they received an alert.

"The public had informed about the incident to the section office, after which the supply was cut off to the area. On inspection, it was found that a damaged service cable was the cause of the leakage. After digging the road, the damaged cable was identified and rectified. The damage could have occurred while milling was done for laying a new road by the GCC," a senior official said.