Santo Domingo, DR
In the Dominican Republic, in the last 15 years, 2,869 people have died from electrocution, according to the report of the National Statistics Office (ONE), which covers 2007 to 2021 with the regions with the highest records.
The main causes are power lines and cables.
This is equivalent to 4.1% of the accidental and violent deaths that occurred in the country in this period, in which traffic accidents totaled 27,611; homicides, 27,850 and suicides, 8,757.
The years with the highest number of cases were 2007, 2008, and 2013 with 254, 219, and 216, respectively. The annual average number of electrocutions for the period was 191 cases per year.
The electrocutions recorded for the period 2007 to 2021 indicate that there was a reduction in cases from 254 in 2007 to 179 in 2021, representing a reduction in the order of 29.5%.
“The gross electrocution rate for the period 2009 to 2021 shows that there was a reduction from 2.05 in 2009 to 1.7 in 2021, representing a reduction of 0.35 points. The years with the highest rate of electrocution deaths were 2010, 2013 and 2012 with 2.20, 2.21 and 2.14 per 100 thousand inhabitants.”
Electrical wiring and cables caused the most electrocutions
Last year in the country, 179 people were electrocuted, a monthly average of 8.3%, but the months that registered the most deaths were September with 13.4%, July with 11.2%, and August with 10.6%.
The NSO report highlights that 86% of these deaths were caused by contact with power lines and cables. Natural electrical discharges (lightning) caused 2.8% of the deaths.
From 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., the highest number of events.
89.4% of electrocutions in 2021 occurred from eight in the morning to eight at night, and the days of the week with the highest number of cases were from Tuesday to Friday, with an average of 16.6%, while from Saturday to Monday, the daily average was 11.2%.
The provinces and regions where most people are electrocuted
The ONE statistics show that last year, of the 179 electrocutions registered, the regions with the highest percentage were the Metropolitan, Valdesia, and Higuamo.
The provinces of Monte Plata, Barahona, and Sanchez Ramirez had the highest rates with 4.23, 5.75, and 3.95 per 100 thousand people, respectively.
In those where no deaths occurred last year due to electrocutions were Valverde, Santiago Rodríguez, Hato Mayor, Bahoruco and Elías Piña, “that is to say, in these last provinces, in the year 2021, no electrocutions occurred.”
The ages of the victims
45.3 % of the electrocutions occurred in people between 20 and 39 years of age; the age groups with the highest percentage were 35-39, 20-24 with 14.5 %, 10.6 %, and the groups 25-29, 30-34 with 10.1 % each.