Woman, son electrocuted while sleeping in Samastipur

Patna: A woman and her six-year-old son died after being electrocuted while sleeping at their home in Chatra village under Badhauna panchayat in Samastipur district late on Friday night.The deceased were identified as Rangeela Devi (24), wife of Kanhaiya Paswan, and her son, Ratan Kumar (6).According to family members, Kanhaiya, a resident of Ward No. 15 of Chatra village, had installed a stand fan in the room to provide relief from the intense heat. On Friday night, Rangeela was sleeping alongside her son when the fan reportedly toppled over.SHO of Vidyapati Nagar police station Suraj Kumar said the fan’s electrical wire is believed to have snapped during the fall and come into contact with its metal body, causing the appliance to become live with electric current.“The child came in contact with the wire and electrocuted. When her mother tried to save him, she also got in contact with live wire. Both died on the spot,” he said.After receiving information about the incident on Saturday morning, police reached the village and conducted an inquiry into the matter.“At the time of the incident, no one was at home. The victim’s relative denied the post-mortem and took the bodies for last rites,” Suraj told TOI.The incident has left the family and locals in shock with villagers mourning the loss of the mother and child in the accident.