Six high school students died of electrocution in Koppal district of Karnataka on Sunday morning, after trying to remove a flagpole erected for the Independence Day celebrations.
The incident took place at a government-run hostel in the Bannikatti area. The students went to the terrace to reportedly remove the flagpole when it fell on a nearby electric line and electrocuted them.
According to police, two students came in contact with the electric line and three others rushed to save them. While five students died on the spot, the sixth victim succumbed to his injuries on the way to the hospital. The deceased students have been identified as Mallikarjun, Basavraj, Devaraj, Ganesh and Kumar.
The Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has ordered an investigation in the matter. "I have ordered a probe into the death of five students due to electrocution in Koppal. I have ordered the District Deputy Commissioner to give Rs five lakh to each family as compensation," he said.
A case has been registered against three people - including the building owner, hostel warden and local official from the Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company (GESCOM). Legal actions will be taken against all three of them for their negligence.
The hostel was being run at a private building on a rental basis and all the five were studying in high schools in the district headquarters town, about 350 km from here, according to PTI.
