Three men, members of a crew who were putting power lines underground, were lethally electrocuted on Thursday in an accident on the island of Evia, central Greece.
A fourth man, also a member of the Public Power Corporation (DEI) crew, was injured as well in the tragedy and was rushed to the nearest health center in critical condition.
The horrific accident occurred in the afternoon as many locals were going about their day in the village of Gymnos. The three men were struck by 20,000 volts and died instantly, reports say.
The horrific scene was witnessed by several locals who rushed to offer assistance, but they were faced with only charred bodies.
The local fire department, with 12 firefighters and 5 vehicles, is at the scene now.
The DEI has launched a program to install underground power lines throughout Greece.
A recent devastating storm in Attica and elsewhere left thousands of homes and business without power due to trees falling on the power lines.
Electrical line work is among the most dangerous professions of all based on the number of annual fatalities the workers incur.
Even though they do not get much recognition in the public media, these men and women keep the power flowing to hospitals, factories, stores and homes. Without them, everything — from traffic lights to the freezers storing coronavirus vaccines to junior’s video game — would go dark.
In the US, around 30 to 50 workers in every 100,000 are killed on the job every year.
Many others suffer non-fatal losses of limbs, electrical burns and mechanical trauma. That represents more than twice the fatality rate of police officers and firemen.
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