A 75-year-old British man was electrocuted in his Paphos home after he touched cables that had detached from the electricity pole close to his home, it emerged on Tuesday.
An autopsy was being carried out and an urgent meeting was taking place between the electricity authority (EAC), forestry department and agriculture ministry, after a series of fires across Cyprus have been blamed on the EAC’s decision to leave exposed cables out in the open.
Community leader in Nata village Stavros Iosifides, where British David James has lived for over 20 years, told the Cyprus Mail that James had called him on Monday at around 2:20pm to tell him there was a fire across his house, in an abandoned home.
A community council employee and fire truck rushed to the scene and obliterated the flames.
According to Iosifides, he had gone to speak to James to ask him if he had any clue what had caused the fire.
“He said he hadn’t seen anything.”
Iosifides, who is an electrician, spotted the cables on the ground and said things instantly clicked into place.
“I ran back and yelled ‘don’t touch’ but it was too late. He was already holding the cables in his hand.”
The community council leader said cables from the nearby electricity pole had detached and fallen to the ground. “I have no idea why, this is something for the authorities to investigate.”
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