Badly burned utility workers flown overseas

Two workers from Cyprus are being rushed to foreign hospitals for specialized medical care after suffering severe burns following in an accident at a utility substation.

(Click here for an update to the story)

According to local media, two workers injured during maintenance at a Cyprus Electricity Authority utility substation were being flown abroad on Friday to seek specialized treatment after suffering severe burns following an accident Thursday morning in Latchia, a southern suburb of Nicosia.

EAC representative Christina Papadopoulou said the 48-year-old employee, who suffered burns to 95% of his body, was en route Friday morning to Athens, where he is expected to receive treatment at a specialized medical facility in the Greek capital.

A second worker, aged 40, was also scheduled to fly to Leipzig where German doctors are expected to treat his 70% burns.

The incident took place in the late morning, just after 11am, on Mega Alexandrou Street in Latchia’s Lefkothea borough, to restore power after maintenance work in the area.

Local media speculated that the two EAC employees came in contact with electric wires inside the substation, resulting in an explosion and their clothes subsequently catching fire.

Reports said the two men attempted to put out the fire, with the 48-year-old worker unable to remain conscious while his fellow worker managed to exit the structure.

Both men were rushed to the Emergency Room at Nicosia General Hospital, where doctors hooked them up to life support. The two workers then underwent emergency surgery.

Medical experts say initial care and treatment of burn injuries can significantly impact the outcome of any treatment in the long run.

Papadopoulou told media the distribution substation in question was a “complex installation” where scheduled maintenance takes place, adding there were very strict safety rules pertaining to any work carried out including cutting off electricity prior to any maintenance project.

The EAC official further cautioned over premature inferences as to what had taken place, saying they were still waiting the outcome of an investigation carried out by labor inspectors, police, and EAC officials.