Young boy dies after reportedly being electrocuted; Power and Water warns of danger of damaged electrical wires

POWER and Water is warning of the dangers of going near damaged electrical wires after an 11-year-old boy has died after reportedly being electrocuted

A young boy was fatally injured in a remote NT community in an incident involving damaged powerlines. Picture: iStock

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NT Power and Water is warning Territorians about the potential dangers of going near damaged electrical wires after a child was killed in a remote community last month.

The 11-year-old boy suffered fatal injuries in the West Arnhem land community of Gunbalanya on October 28.

According to Power and Water, the boy was fatally injured in an incident involving “damaged, defective or degraded overhead electrical infrastructure.”

No further details about the incident were provided.

The NT News understands the child’s body was discovered on or near a fence.

“We offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends, and affected community. Public safety is fundamental to everything we do at Power and Water, and any incident involving electrical infrastructure that results in harm weighs heavily on us,” Power and Water said in a statement.

“Power and Water has been working cooperatively with NT WorkSafe and relevant authorities to determine the circumstances and causes of the incident and will continue to do so.”

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The statement said crews inspected the electrical supply installations on all the other homes in the community following the incident.

Senior Sergeant Mark Malogorski said: “NT Police are continuing to investigate the death of an 11-year-old boy in a remote West Arnhem community and will prepare a file for the Coroner.”

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