Five persons were killed while four others were seriously injured on Monday evening after they were electrocuted when a billboard they were erecting along the East-West Road touched high tension cables in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital.
It was gathered that the billboard belonging to a new generation church was being mounted around the Obiri-Ikwere flyover in Rumuosi community of the State.
It was further gathered that the victims were artisans, who were contracted by the church to mount the billboard.
The bodies of the dead victims and those that were injured were taken to the nearby University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) by some of those who witnessed the accident.
Speaking to journalists, a friend to one of the deceased victims, Emmanuel Osita, said some of those involved were welders who fabricate metals along Ikwerre Road in Port Harcourt.
Osita said: “In the process of installing the billboard under the high tension, the billboard touched the high tension cables and they were electrocuted. About five of them died immediately, and four other were seriously injured.
“It is not as if they were members of the church, they were called by the church to come and install the billboard.”
It could not be confirmed at press time if the victims got approval from the Rivers State Synages and Advertisement Agency (RISAA) before installing the billboard.
When contacted, the Rivers State Police Command said it has launched an investigation into the accident.