Two electricity workers killed by short circuit during rain in Khurmatu

KHURMATU — Two employees of the Khurmatu electricity department were killed late Tuesday after an electrical short circuit occurred during maintenance work in a residential neighborhood, health officials said.

Ali Falah, head of the emergency department at Khurmatu Hospital, told 964media that a maintenance team went to the Komari neighborhood to repair a transformer, with one worker climbing the pole using a crane truck.

“Because of rainfall, at the moment the crane made contact with the pole, an electrical short circuit occurred, causing the worker on the pole and the driver of the vehicle to die instantly,” Falah said.

The incident happened at about 11 p.m. The two workers were identified as Ahmed Mulla Rashid and Khalid Abbas Qalandar.

Electricity-related deaths have been reported across Iraq in recent months. In October, a worker was electrocuted at a power station in Erbil’s Qushtapa district. In August, a generator worker died in Kirkuk while switching power to the national grid. An electrician was killed in Khanaqin in July during work amid a power outage. In April, two workers died in separate electrocutions in Duhok and Erbil, and in March, a worker was killed in Duhok’s Batifa district while repairing a cable.