9th September, 2011
Tragedy struck on Friday morning at the bank of a river behind Gidan Madara area of the Maiduguri metropolis when two teenagers (names withheld) from Hausari ward were electrocuted while swimming in the river.
A PHCN cable had fallen into the water, residents told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
A witness told NAN on condition of anonymity that the cable trapped the first victim in the river while the second was electrocuted while trying to rescue his partner.
A rescue team from the state command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) later removed the two corpses and deposited them at the State Specialist Hospital in Bulumkutu.
NSCDC Deputy Commandant Bello Argungu confirmed the tragedy and advised PHCN officials to monitor their installations across the state.
Argungu noted that the cable that claimed the lives of the teenagers felt into the river a long time ago but the PHCN failed to repair it.
However, the PHCN Public Relations Officer, Mr. Yemi Awe, explained that the company was not aware that the cable fell into the river.
Awe urged PHCN customers in the state to always report cases of damaged cables to the company so that it could repair them immediately.