HILLCREST PUPIL ELECTROCUTED

A Grade 10 pupil of Hillcrest Technical School in Livingstone was yesterday electrocuted by ZESCO overhead power lines as he was trying to pluck mangoes from a tree with a metal bar.

Boyd Kabati of House number 53 Cold Storage area went to pluck mangoes in Dambwa between 14:00 and 15:00 hours yesterday when he met his fate.

Southern Province Police Commissioner Charity Katanga confirmed the development to ZANIS in Livingstone today.

Ms Katanga stated that the tree Boyd was attempting to pluck mangoes from was just beneath ZESCO overhead power lines.

She appealed to ZESCO and members of the public to exercise caution and cut down trees that get entangled with power lines.

Meanwhile, a public service vehicle operating as a taxi yesterday careered off Kafubu road in Livingstone and hit a cyclist and his passenger.

Ms Katanga said the accident which involved a Toyota Corolla registration number AJB 8478 which was being driven by Mathias Dobe 28, happened around 17:00 hours.

Dobe lost control of the vehicle due to excessive speed and it careered off the road, over tuned and hit a cyclist Njamba Ndonji 25 and his passenger Jeriot Mwanza aged 25.

Ndonji sustained a suspected fracture on his right leg and cuts on the left shoulder while Mwanza sustained multiple cuts on the face, bruises on the back and general body pains.

Both Ndonji and Mwanza are admitted to Livingstone General Hospital.

And, in a related development, a Volvo truck registration number ALE 9889 careered off the road due to excessive speed 16 kilometres South of Choma.

The accident occurred around 03:00 hours this morning when driver of the truck Isaac Mwale 36, of John Howard compound in Lusaka failed to negotiate a curve.

The driver of the truck sustained a fractured right leg and painful right arm while his passenger Sam Phiri 34 of Harmony Farms in Choma sustained a bruised chest.

 Both casualties are admitted in Choma General Hospital.