Gardener survives after being electrocuted from power cables while trimming tree

A gardener survived after being electrocuted while he was cutting a tree when a branch fell onto power cables.

Chana Sornlam, 42, climbed the trunk with a saw to chop off branches at the hotel resort in Chathaburi, eastern Thailand on Thursday afternoon (May 28).

Locals said they heard a loud bang and then when they came out of their house to check, they saw the employee had passed out and was hanging in the tree.

Paramedics arrived and asked the provincial electrical authority turn off the power before they climbed up to retrieve the man, who was unconscious and 30ft off the ground.

After the tricky rescue, Chana was rushed by the nearest hospital.

Staff said they believed he might have been electrocuted after he cut a branch which fell onto a wire.

One of the rescue team added: "We think his body was touching one of the fallen branches, which was also in contact with the electricity wires.'' The volunteer said that the locals should leave maintenance to experts.

He said: "This case is an example to warn people to leave difficult work to experts, especially when there are power cables near.''