Teen dies in live-wire tragedy

ILOILO CITY — A teenage girl died after she was allegedly electrocuted by a live electrical wire connected to a barbed-wire fence surrounding an abandoned private property in Barangay Dumolog, Roxas City.

The victim, identified only by the alias “Angel,” was a resident of New Road, Barangay Banica, Roxas City.

According to former barangay captain Richard Mario Artillero, the abandoned rest house where the incident occurred had electricity the night before, contradicting the caretaker’s claim that the property had no power supply.

Artillero said the caretaker also denied installing the live wire on the barbed-wire fence. However, investigators believe the victim may have accidentally come into contact with the electrified fence after stopping to rest while jogging along the nearby shoreline.

He said he had previously warned the caretaker to remove or disconnect the live wire, saying it posed a serious danger to students, nearby residents and other people who frequently passed through or visited the coastal area.

Upon finding the victim lying motionless on the ground, Artillero said he immediately cut the live wire connected to the abandoned rest house before calling emergency responders.

He also noted that there were no warning signs indicating that the fence had been electrified, a precaution that could have prevented the tragedy.

Witnesses interviewed by a local radio station said they found the victim unconscious and already showing no signs of life when they arrived at the scene.

The victim’s aunt said the girl had asked permission from her mother earlier that afternoon to go jogging along the beach.

The Roxas City Police Office has launched an investigation to determine the exact circumstances surrounding the incident and whether the property’s caretaker and owner could face criminal charges over the girl’s death.