North Rhine-Westphalia: boy dies after being electrocuted on a wagon in Duisburg

Duisburg (dpa / lnw) - A twelve-year-old died two days after an accident at a freight station in Duisburg as a result of an electric shock.

North Rhine-Westphalia: boy dies after being electrocuted on a wagon in Duisburg

Duisburg (dpa / lnw) - A twelve-year-old died two days after an accident at a freight station in Duisburg as a result of an electric shock. He succumbed to his injuries in hospital on Tuesday, a police spokesman said on Wednesday. The boy climbed onto a wagon on the site of a freight depot on Sunday evening and suffered severe burns from the electric shock. The "WAZ" had previously reported on the child's death.

According to the police, the boy walked alone from a playground towards the train station and climbed onto the stationary wagon. Relatives would have found him afterwards. After the accident, he was first taken to a special clinic.

According to the federal police, the extremely high voltage of the overhead lines is often underestimated. This does not have to be touched in the slightest for it to be life-threatening: the current can jump to the body at a distance of around 1.50 meters. It then runs through the body from top to bottom, resulting in severe burns. Internal organs are also affected.