By Glazyl M. Jopson
BACOLOD CITY – A 34-year-old motorcycle rider died Tuesday after being hit by a collapsing concrete electrical post near a public market in Barangay Zone 4, Cadiz City, Negros Occidental.
The victim was identified only as “Cyrel,” a resident of Barangay Cabahug.
Police Master Sgt. Dioscoro De Jose III, commander of the Cadiz Police substation and a witness to the incident, said a wooden telecommunications post first collapsed.
The fall of the wooden post caused tension on the attached cables, which then pulled down a nearby concrete electrical post.
The collapse also triggered a transformer explosion.
The victim, who was passing by the area on his motorcycle, was struck and pinned by the falling post.
He was reportedly on his way to fetch his wife from work.
De Jose said he immediately alerted the police station.
However, live wires at the site posed a hazard and delayed rescue efforts by around 10 minutes.
The victim was later declared dead at a hospital.
Four tricycles were damaged during the incident, along with De Jose’s personal vehicle, which was hit by falling cables.
Clearing operations lasted about an hour, De Jose added.
The Northern Negros Electric Cooperative (Noneco) said on Facebook that a mixer truck accidentally struck messenger wires, which caused the collapse of a primary pole.
This triggered a widespread power outage that affected the Cadiz Proper Feeder at 3:20 p.m.
Affected areas included Barangays Zone 1, Zone 3, Zone 4, Zone 5 and Zone 6, as well as parts of Zone 2, Daga and Banquerohan.
Power was fully restored at 10:21 p.m. following the installation of a new 45-foot steel pole and replacement of damaged lines.
