Youth who accompanied sick friend to consult doctor electrocuted at Kozhikode hospital canteen

Kozhikode: In a shocking incident, a young man died at a hospital canteen in Koodaranji here, allegedly after electrocution. Abin Binu Puthiyakunnel (27), from Thiruvambadi here, breathed his last on Thursday around 10.30 pm at the premises of a canteen inside the compound of a newly opened St. Joseph Hospital in Koodaranji. Abin reached the hospital as one of his friends had an appointment with a doctor. A few friends also accompanied the duo.

After having tea from the hospital canteen, they were heading outside. Then suddenly, Abin suffered an electric shock from light and collapsed. After being given CPR at the hospital, he was rushed to a private medical college hospital in Mukkom and then shifted to Kozhikode Government Medical College.

Though the hospital authority rubbished the reports on electrocution as a cause of death, Abin's friend Sarath argued that he also got an electric shock while trying to rescue Abin. He said that Abin was electrocuted from a light which was not connected properly. Sarath and another friend, Rony, alleged that when they went back to the accident spot after Abin's death, the light was fitted in a proper way. 

“We had taken photos of the light as evidence to prove our allegations,” they said.

“If the hospital authority took action to install a proper Earth-Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB), the death would not have happened. ELCB system is mandatory in all buildings,” an electrician, Shaji, told Onmanorama.

But the hospital in charge responded to Onmanorama that they could not confirm the death reason right now. 

“The deceased man came here with a patient. When he collapsed, we gave him proper treatment on time. At present, we cannot say the reason for the death was an electric shock. We gave him CPR and sent him to a private medical college along with a doctor,” said Sister Mary Jose, who is in charge of the hospital.