A thirsty Annandale man was yesterday afternoon electrocuted while opening his fridge to have a drink of iced water.

Within moments of Hemchandra Singh of Ramsingh Street, North Annandale touching his fridge, he was knocked unconscious and never regained his senses despite several attempts at Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR).

The tragedy caused panic in the East Coast community yesterday sending scores running into their homes to turn off their main switches.

Singh, 35, had just stepped into his bottom-flat kitchen to have a drink of water when he came in contact with the electricity running through the handle of his fridge door. He was rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital and despite a nurse trying to perform CPR on him he died.

Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday, the man's reputed wife, Pranpattie Sooknandan said prior to his electrocution Singh was repairing his bicycle under their house.

According to the woman, the time was 2:20 pm (1420 hours) and she was inside when she noticed her husband enter the kitchen and go to the fridge for a drink of water. According to her, as soon as he placed his left hand on the fridge door to open it, he was hit with the electricity which pitched him a few metres back.

Sooknandan said once she saw her husband in agony she realised that he was shocked and so she immediately switched off the power to the fridge. Still not troubling her husband the woman said she then ran outside and raised an alarm which saw scores of residents rushing over to her home. According to the woman, relatives and friends made a valiant effort to revive Singh who had lost consciousness. "They tried all thing to shake he up, but he ain't respond." The man was later taken to the hospital where he died while being treated.

When Stabroek News visited Annandale yesterday afternoon a sizeable crowd had gathered outside the dead man's home. Workers of the Guyana Power and Light (GPL) were conducting their investigation together with the police. Sooknandan said they were advised by GPL to have a certified electrician assess the condition of the electrical wiring in the house. Relatives told this newspaper that the GPL official had also hinted to them that floodwaters which ravaged the community last month and in January could have destabilised the electrical works in the house and as such a thorough assessment must be done soon to determine what is wrong.

Floodwater was some three feet high in the dead man's bottom flat and had come into contact with electrical wires.

Trying to hold back tears, Sooknandan told Stabroek News that her husband was the main bread winner of the home.

She said he worked as a mechanic at Roma Manufac-turing located at Le Ressouvenir. The man leaves to mourn two children: Subrina and Tricia along with his wife and other relatives. A post-mortem is likely to be done today. (Nigel Williams)