The lamp post which caused a 13-year-old boy to be electrocuted last Monday

The Public Lighting Company of Ho Chi Minh City has suspended two managers it holds indirectly responsible for the death of a 13-year old boy last Monday.

As a result, the company has suspended the division’s director, Vu Dinh Dung, and deputy director Truong Anh Kiet.

Their positions will be filled by two senior technicians of the company.

Hue said the linemen responsible for maintaining the lamp post would also face disciplinary action.

The liabilities of higher-ranking managers at the lighting company would be decided later by the proper authorities, Hue said.

Co Quoc Duy and two of his school mates were riding their bicycles along Tran Hung Dao Street at 7:20 p.m. on Monday when, according to District 5 police, they went through a puddle of water and were shocked by a power leak from a curbside pole.

Duy was pronounced dead on arrival at hospital, while his friends survived.

Last week Director Tran Trong Hue blamed the incident on heavy rain that had flooded the street, submerging the power box of lamp post No. 86 and causing the wires to electrify the metal lamp post.

The suspension of the two managers came after experts and an angry public demanded the company take responsibility for the boy’s death.

In an interview with Thanh Nien on Saturday, Hue said his company would learn from the incident and improve its maintenance.

“We have taken immediate measures to improve the safety of the lighting system on Tran Hung Dao Street… The process will be completed this month, before we move on to other city districts.”

For the first time, he added, circuit breakers with a mechanism to prevent power leaks would be installed for the city’s lamp posts.

Lawyer Co Le Huy, an uncle of the dead boy, said Duy’s family had filed a lawsuit against the Public Lighting Company on Saturday for causing his death.

Huy said earlier last week that the family wanted the company’s managers to be charged with “irresponsibility causing serious consequences.”

He said they also intended to sue the linemen for involuntary manslaughter.

Reported by Phuong Thanh