WESTERN BUREAU – Two men were electrocuted in separated incidents by Jamaica Public Service (JPS) power lines on Sunday.

The casualties were Marrick Surgeon, 25, of Princess Street, Montego Bay, St James; and in neighbouring Trelawny, another 25 year-old, Machel Campbell, of Tharpe Street, Falmouth.

According to Patrick Chin, police spokesman for Trelawny, Campbell was electrocuted about 7:25 pm while attempting to pilfer electricity from a JPS power line running across the community where he lives, known as ‘Dump’.

Police reports say that Campbell, who has had frequent run-ins with the law and was wanted on a charge of rape at the time of his death, was abstracting electricity from the power line when he lost his balance and fell in a pool of water.

He received severe burns and was taken to the Falmouth Public Hospital where he was pronounced dead. The Falmouth police are investigating.

Meanwhile, Surgeon died while attempting to cut branches from a breadfruit tree at Bogue. He was said to be visiting his aunt.

A family member who was on the scene at the time of the incident told the Observer that Surgeon decided to chop limbs from the breadfruit tree, after repeatedly sweeping fallen leaves from under it.

During the process, one of the limbs got entangled in a high-tension power line and became a conductor of electricity.

Surgeon was held fast to the tree by the current, and remained trapped there until personnel from the Jamaica Public Service Company arrived on the scene and cut the power.

Surgeon then fell to the ground dead.

The Montego Bay police are carrying out investigations into that incident.

JPS took the opportunity meantime to remind persons that they should contact the company for help when de-limbing trees near utility lines.

“Sometimes the trees grow over the wires and that can cause problems when persons try to cut them themselves,” said JPS communication officer Ruthlyn Johnson.