Updated: Man electrocuted on railway tracks (From Echo)

Updated: Man electrocuted on railway tracks

7:40am Thursday 9th July 2009 in

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A YOUNG man was killed after being electrocuted during a suspected cable theft from railway tracks.

The 20-year-old, named locally as Paul Fowkes, was killed after he and another man were shocked while trespassing on railway tracks near Fort Road, Tilbury, in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The 21-year-old he was with, whose hands were burned in the incident and is recovering in hospital, is under arrest on suspicion of theft.

The men, both from the Tilbury area, were found by rolls of cable freshly cut from conductor wire that carries 25,000 volts of electricity.

British Transport Police Insp Chris Bragg, said: “The investigation is still in its early stages and we are not ruling out an attempted theft of cable.

“We’re keen to speak to the injured man as soon as possible to find out exactly what happened and why the men were on the railway.

“This incident serves as a stark reminder that trespassing on the railway is extremely dangerous and can have tragic consequences.”

The 21-year-old was taken to Basildon Hospital and later transferred to a specialist burns unit at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, where he is currently under sedation.