Thursday, August 19, 2010

One person electrocuted; three injured

Aug 9, 2010
A pastor from the Corozal District tragically lost her life last Friday evening in an unfortunate incident. The victim, forty one year old Leticia Vidal is from the village of Estrella and also ministered in neighboring Libertad Village. Vidal and two minors holidaying at her home were trying to adjust a television antenna to get better reception on Cable when it made contact with a high tension electricity line which runs in front of Vidal’s house. She was killed instantly, the two others suffered burns while a minor was flung a few feet away. News Five’s Marion Ali went to Estrella and Libertad Villages today and files this report.
Marion Ali, Reporting
The house in Estrella Village where the tragedy occurred after five last Friday evening still painted a picture of what happened when we visited today. There were visible scorch marks at the entrance of the house and a few feet away, the television antennae was still under the high tension wire where it made contact. The victim’s slippers were still where they collapsed fighting to survive. Village Chairman, Isiah Budna, lives near the deceased, Leticia Vidal.
Sergeant Fitzroy Yearwood, Police Press Officer
“Their television wasn’t showing too clearly and they went to adjust the antennae. Upon doing this, apparently the antennae made contact with the high tension wire and Rosaura Mai, a thirty-six year old female that was also there, apparently held on to Ms. Vidal as to try to move her from the pole. Upon seeing this a fourteen year old minor that was with them held on to her and they tried to remove Ms. Vidal. But all three of them ended up being electrocuted. The final person, an eleven year old minor, she came out and she also tried to remove them and it is believed that it was at that point that they managed to get away from the antennae but it was too late for Ms. Vidal.”
There was nothing that could be done to save the life of Pastor Leticia Vidal. Her death will not only be felt in Estrella but also in neighbouring Libertad Village where Natividad Aldana lives and attends services at the Full Gospel Church of God where Pastor Vidal preached for the past ten years. Aldana told News Five that the loss is a personal one because Vidal had always been much more than a pastor to her.

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