Paradip, July 31: Four persons, including two women, were electrocuted to death after coming in contact with a high-tension electric wire at Pahana village in Kujanga police station area, about 20 km from here, police said.

Two persons were seriously injured in the incident.

The two women were sleeping last night when a live wire fell on their house after getting snapped from the overhead 11KV line.

On hearing the screams of the other members in the house, some neighbours attempted to put off the main switch, but got killed, inspector in charge of Kujanga police station Gupteswar Bhoi said.

The six people were taken to the government hospital at Kujanga where four of them were declared brought dead. The injured, including a child, are undergoing treatment and their condition is said to be critical.

The victims were identified as Koili Patnaik, 70, Saraswati Patnaik, 30, Kesaba Patnaik, 60, and Pramod Patnaik, 25. A case has been registered and an inquiry into the incident is in progress, Bhoi said.

Villagers alleged that the mishap occurred because of the negligent attitude of the Central Electricity Supply Utility (Cesu), the supplier of electricity in the region. Though the high-tension live wire was found to be weak, no step was taken to replace it, they claimed.

Villagers gheraoed the local Cesu office and demanded compensation. A Cesu official, however, said that an inquiry into the incident had been ordered though no one had lodged any complaint against the company.