At least 15 people have died after being electrocuted while protesting the day after a man died from an electric shock at a government project site in India, officials and the press reported Thursday.
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At least 11 people were injured in the accident in Chamoli district of the northern state of Uttarakhand.
The death of the project site guard from electrocution, on Tuesday evening, and his body was found by his family on Wednesday, caused a demonstration in which 15 people were electrocuted, according to the authorities.
According to Hindustan Times daily, the guard died after touching a railing, as did other people who died the next day.
The Indian Express newspaper reported Thursday that several people also suffered “severe burns”.
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dami described the incident as “heartbreaking”.
The top official in Chamoli district, Himanshu Khurana, told AFP on Wednesday that an investigation is underway into the causes of the accident, which left at least four security guards dead.
India has witnessed heavy rains in recent days, and dozens have been killed in floods and landslides.
