Labuan hotel worker electrocuted after coming into contact with lamp post

LABUAN: A hotel worker here has been electrocuted after coming into contact with a lamp post that had somehow been electrified here on Thursday (May 4) morning.

Labuan police chief Supt Ahmad Jawila said the deceased was 18-year-old Ryandeigo Roselee from Sook, Keningau, Sabah.

"The teenager came in contact with the lamp post while he was walking along a 50m covered walkway," he said at a press conference here Thursday.

He was found lying unconscious next to the lamp post when the ambulance arrived and was pronounced dead at the scene at 12.05am.

He said Ryandeigo's body was found by his brother who felt something was amiss when he did not return home at his usual time of 11.30pm after his night shift.

"The brother decided to look for him and found the deceased on the walkway," he said.

Ahmad said a check on the lamp post found that it was still intact and no exposed live wires could be seen on the surface of the lamp post.

"We have sealed the walkway until Labuan Corporation and Saba Electricity Sdn Bhd (SESB) can confirm that the walkway is safe for pedestrians," Ahmad said.

Police have advised people to be wary of exposed wires while walking near power lines, especially in foggy weather.

A local resident said a small tear in the insulation of a live wire inside the lamp post was the probable cause.

He said the tear will not be visible unless the junction box is removed.

A junction box houses the connection between underground cables and cables supplying power to the lamp post. – Bernama