Six electrocuted while erecting wedding tents
At least six people have been killed while erecting a tent for a wedding ceremony venue in Butawata Village, Kigando Subcounty in Mubende District.
The deceased have been identified as Godwin Asaba Godwin, 40, Boaz Byamukama, 51, Jordan Ayebazibwe, 22, and George Walusiimbi, 19.
The others are Ambrose Kakuru, 30, and Innocent Basamira, 32, all residents of Kigando.
Michael Muwonge, who witnessed the tragic incident, said the deceased persons were lifting when a pipe accidentally swiped a live wire resulting their electric shocking.
"We were supposed to have a wedding ceremony for our colleague Nelson Bitamugaya but it's unfortunate our people died in an electric shocking," Muwonge said.
Mr Benon Kwikiriza, a resident, blamed the contractors in charge of electricity in Kassambya Constituency for not raising the wires at the required level.
"These wires are so close to the ground," he said, "imagine a pole for the tent to hit overheard powerline, it's really bad and they should come and replace electric poles."
Aron Muzoora, the Kigaando Subcounty chairperson, asked authorities mostly those in electricity department to sensitise locals about the dangers of electricity.
He said it was not the first time to experience such an incident in the area.
"This is not the first time electricity is shocking our people but in the first incident the man who was constructing a house was not harmed," said Muzoora.
According to the family of the groom said the wedding had been cancelled as a mark of respect for the deceased persons.
Moses Asiimwe, the brother-in-law of the would-be groom Bitamugaya, told Nile Post that they went to Ankole yesterday (Wednesday) and the family for the bride officially handed their daughter to them.
"In our culture when you get a wife you have to wed so it's very absurd that our brother-in-law experienced such a situation," Asiimwe said.
The Wamala Region Police commander, Ms Rachael Kawala, said police noted illegal connection in the area.
The bodies of the deceased have been taken to Mubende Regional Referral Hospital for postmortem.
