Mother's rescue attempt ends in heartbreak as toddler dies of electrocution

RANNI: A three-year-old girl died after being electrocuted at her home in Vayalathala near Ranni on Tuesday morning when electric current is believed to have leaked into the metal frame of a toy Nashik dhol.

Avanthika, daughter of Binoy Thomas and Sandra, was getting ready to leave for the local Anganwadi when the accident occurred at around 9 a.m. Sandra had dressed the child and briefly gone to take a bath. When she returned, she found Avanthika leaning against the toy's metal frame. As she tried to pull her away, Sandra too suffered an electric shock and was thrown back. She switched off the power before lifting the child.

Neighbours and nearby workers rushed Avanthika to Ranni Taluk Hospital, but she could not be saved.
Preliminary findings suggest that the current leaked from a damaged section of an extension cord being used to charge a mobile phone. The exposed portion of the cord is believed to have electrified the toy's metal frame. Investigators believe the child came into contact with it while trying to hold on to the toy.

Binoy, a native of Pullad, works as a daily wage labourer. Avanthika is survived by her parents and her brother, Aadi.