Sheikh Mutasher Makhelif Al-Dabi

Fatal electrocution claims life of Wasit tribal leader at construction site

WASIT — Sheikh Mutasher Makhelif Al-Dabi, the tribal leader of the Al-Dabbat Al-Taiea clan, passed away on Sunday after being electrocuted at a construction site in the town of Al-Hay, south of Wasit governorate.

The 70-year-old, who was also a car trader and community figure, was reportedly measuring dimensions at the site of a building under construction, a property of himself, when his measuring tape came into contact with a high-voltage power cable.

Despite attempts to rush him to the hospital, Sheikh Al-Dabi succumbed to his injuries immediately after the electric shock. His death has been widely mourned by tribal and social circles in Al-Hay.

In recent months, several electrocution cases have been noted across the country. A four-year-old girl died from electrocution on last Wednesday in her home in the Al-Rasheediya area of Al-Zubair district, southwest of Basra.

In Dec. 17, 2014, a worker in the Al-Zubair electricity department died after suffering an electric shock while working on a power network in the Al-Dawajin area, southwest of Basra.

In December, another 22-year-old worker tragically lost his life after being electrocuted while working at a building in the central Akre district of Duhok governorate.

That same month, Erbil’s Western Emergency Hospital issued a warning about the rising number of electricity-related fatalities. The hospital urged residents to take extra precautions following the deaths of five people in similar incidents within a span of just seven days.