On August 6th, a high-voltage line suddenly fell in Huangchuan, Henan Province, causing a vehicle on the roadside to catch fire and an elderly passerby to be electrocuted. Officials shifted the blame to the windy weather, sparking skepticism among netizens.
According to reports from the public, the incident occurred near the Seventh Middle School in Huangchuan County, Xinyang, Henan Province. The falling high-voltage line triggered a chain of dangerous events, resulting in a pedestrian being “electrocuted to death” and a vehicle on the roadside being engulfed in flames.
Videos from the scene showed a loud explosion followed by a raging inferno erupting on site.
On August 7th, nearby shopkeepers informed “Beijing News Videos” that the high-voltage line fell in three sections at once, setting a car on fire underneath and electrocuting an elderly man passing by.
Reports indicated that from a local “authoritative source,” the “falling of the high-voltage line is related to the windy weather,” leading to one fatality, with the cause of the accident still under investigation.
However, the video footage showed that the leaves on the roadside were not even swaying at the time of the incident. Netizens from Henan also commented, “Have there been strong winds and heavy rain these days? Why am I not aware?” “No wind! Yesterday.” “The strong wind is being scapegoated.”
“Why didn’t the circuit breaker automatically trip when it fell?” “Why was there no protection from tripping the breaker?” “How many years has Huang Shui Road been in disrepair? The power lines are privately pulled everywhere, which is particularly unsafe. I hope that senior leaders can take this seriously.” “Substandard construction is everywhere.”