Man narrowly escapes death after climbing high voltagetransmission line

A man in his 20s only identified as a street kid was on Tuesday afternoon rescued from being electrocuted when he climbed a high voltage utility pole in a suspected suicide in Mbarara town. 

Geoffrey Ndyanabo, a security guard at Amazon Building who witnessed him climbing an electric pole, said: “It was at around 2:00pm, when he went to one of the supermarkets at Amazon Building and asked for food but never got it, out of frustration, he proceeded and climbed an electric pole at Ntare Road. People gathered and begged him to come down but he proceeded to climb.” 

Ndyanabo said, they feared for his life and informed UMEME officials who rushed and switched off the power line to save him from getting electrocuted. 

However, he refused to come down following several pleas and kept on walking on the wires as he struggled to balance. 

His actions attracted one by one and later crowds from the sides of the road, causing traffic flow in town. 

After half an hour, Police came but the suspect refused to take heed and continued walking on wires, which caused anxiety to the onlookers. 

He later got tired and started dangling on wires and people had no hope that he would survive. 

Police and UMEME staff brought mattresses and put them on the road so he doesn’t hit his head on the tarmac road. 

As they were still contemplating on what to do, the driver of Sino truck with full of sand came as a saviour, parked it in the middle of the road and the victim rolled into the truck and fortunately, he was not hurt.  

It lasted for almost an hour for the victim to be saved from the claws of death. 

Police and other onlookers immediately embarked on the truck wrestled him not to jump off the truck, tied him up with ropes and handcuffed him before he was whisked away on a bodaboda to Mbarara Police Station. 

A police officer who was at the scene but never wanted to be quoted because he is not a Police spokesperson for Rwizi Region said they are going to first examine him to know if he is of sound mind before proceeding with the investigations. 

“We are going to take him to hospital for a medical check-up to ascertain if he is of sound mind. If it is discovered that he is of sound mind and wanted to take his life, we shall charge him with attempted suicide,” he said.