Cable theft is something that we in South Africa are all too
familiar with. It is extremely frustrating when it does occur as it impacts
heavily on business, broadband will perhaps go down, electricity may go off,
traffic lights sometimes don’t work properly and so it goes on. It is however
not unique to South Africa and according to the FBI, copper theft is a critical
threat to U.S. infrastructure. In
Arizona, the mummified remains of a man discovered in a Tucson manhole, told
its own poignant story.
In May 2014 the manhole was opened to investigate a
fluctuation in electrical power. According to records kept by Tucson Electric
Power, the manhole had not been opened in the past five years.
The team that entered
the underground high-voltage vault was astounded to find the desiccated remains
of a man slumped near severed copper wires holding a bolt cutter in his
mummified hand.
An autopsy confirmed the obvious conclusion that
electrocution was the likely cause of death. The date of death was set at
somewhere between one and two years previous to the discovery. The ID of a 51-year-old
man was found on the mummy and it later became evident, that nobody had noticed
the shock victim was missing.
Reference: Darwinawards.com
Ernest Roper
Membership Services Manager
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