A 40-year-old Guyana Power and Light (GPL) linesman died at D’Edward Village, West Bank Berbice yesterday after a live wire shocked him while he was attempting to repair the damaged line.
Dead is Murrel Semple of Number 22 Village/Bel-Air, West Coast Berbice. According to reports, sometime yesterday, the electricity cable in the vicinity of the road project for the Berbice River Bridge was accidentally cut. Semple and another worker, Corwin Wayne were dispatched to fix it and it was during this mission that the fateful incident occurred.
Reports are that around 4:45 pm yesterday, Semple was at the top of the pole fixing the wire, when he was electrocuted. As he was wearing his safety equipment he was left there while Wayne, who was lower down on the pole, quickly clambered down and notified the company. Other workers were summoned and they took down Semple’s body and transported it to the Fort Wellington Hospital mortuary.
At Semple’s home last evening, his wife, Imcy Semple and other relatives were inconsolable as they tried to come to grips with the tragedy. The grieving housewife told Stabroek News that she did not have any information as to how her husband died and learned of it when the police came to the home and informed her. She said that she immediately went to the mortuary and identified the body.
Meanwhile, Wayne was also at the home but was in a state of shock and was unable to speak. Another worker, Dave Rogers said that Semple had gone in to work the 3 pm shift and had relieved him from duty. He said that he was in his farm when he heard of the incident.
Semple had worked with the power company for 12 years and is also survived by three children. (Shabna Ullah)
