Monday, April 20, 2015

Terrifying Motorcyclist Thrust In Air, Trapped By High-Voltage Power Cables As They Were Airlifted To A Pylon

Onlookers were left aghast after a motorbike got entangled in a power transmission high-tension cable at a height of 80 feet. 

However, the reality was that it was no stunt act. Bewildered passersby just couldn’t stop asking: How that happened? 

The incident happened at Batuali in Ambikapur district, north Chhattisgarh, 320km from Raipur. 

Airlifting of high-tension cable wire for a power transmission tower was being carried out near a bypass road. 

One end of the heavy wire was tied to a tractor at a distance of 600 metres. The cables are so heavy that a tractor uses force for lifting, hauling or towing to a considerable height over the ground on a power transmission tower. 

Rajesh Toppo, 25, was driving by when the cable that was placed on the road came between the two wheels of his bike and both vehicle and rider were almost instantly thrust upward. 

The shocked youth clung on to the bike. But, when labourers noticed him, they told him to jump despite he being at a height of 20 feet. 

“I shouted at the workers to halt, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. I tightly held onto the bike and it was consistently going up. I got scared and jumped from a height of 20 feet,” said Toppo, who sustained minor injuries. 

The bike remained entwined with the wire and continued going up to over 80 feet. 

News of the spectacular scene spread like wild fire. Villagers who rushed to the area to have a ‘dekkho’, however, complained that the work has been going on close to a bypass road but one will not find any warning or caution indicator displayed in the area. 

“I was returning home and the moment my front wheel crossed, the cable lifted it. I was at a loss not knowing whom to call for rescue as the workers too found themselves helpless and kept shouting, asking me to jump,” Toppo, who had a miraculous escape, told reporters. 

However, the supervisor and the workers had reportedly asked Toppo to quickly cross, as the cable was to be lifted immediately but the biker could not ride to safety. 

Finally, after seeing Toppo and his bike “accidentally anchored” on the rising electric cable, the supervisor and ground labourers yelled and called the driver of the tractor to stop. But, the tractor was 600-700 metres away and moreover, it was impossible for the driver to hear anything in the backdrop of the heavy engine noise from the running tractor. 

“Despite waving their hands and signalling to apprise the tractor driver of an emergency, it did not work,” the supervisor, whose name couldn’t be confirmed, told the villagers at the site. 

Soon, the supervisor and workers fled the spot. Toppo was taken to a local hospital with minor injuries. 

“It is the responsibility of the company’s staff and workers to ensure the safety and avert any possible danger to passersby,” said Maheshpur village sarpanch Pusao Ram.

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