A 17 year old student was electrocuted while attempting to take a selfie atop a goods wagon stabled at East Tambaram Railway Yard, in Chennai.

Prakash, who recently gave his plus 1 exams, used to live in Kamarajar Puram, Chembakkam near Tambaram. He recently bought a smartphone with a front camera, and since then started experimenting, taking selfies in different backgrounds and posting them on the social networking sites.

Prakash, who aimed at taking a selfie astop an EMU coach, learnt that he would not be allowed to scale it at Tambaram Railway Station. He then, at around 4pm, sneaked into East Tambaram railway yard.

Also read: Man kills self trying to take selfie

Climbing atop a good wagon stationed in the yard, he took a group of selfies with wagon’s background. But in an attempt to bring the entire wagon into the frame, Prakash raised the phone above and then came in contact with High-Tension (HT) over head cable, which was powering the Electric-Multiple-Units (EMUs).     

Suffering the severe electrocution, Prakash fell on the ground with burns, who was later rescued by the yard staff, rushing him to the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital (KMCH). The boy succumbed to burns at KMCH, who could not respond to the treatment.

This is the second similar death in the recent times. On January, this year, Dena Sukumar, a 12th class student Poonamallee Aringnar Anna government higher secondary school, was run over by an EMU, while taking selfies with his friends.

Two years ago, a plus-2 student was electrocuted in the same railway yard, while trying to free a kite, that was entangled in the over-head cable.

By Phani Ch