Seventeen-year-old dies of electrocution in the shower of a rented house

A seventeen-year-old Irish boy has died of electrocution while showering in a rented house on Kimolos, a small island in the Cyclades. The incident happened on Sunday 9 August. The account is reported by the British newspaper The Sun, which gathered initial statements from local authorities.

"He died in the shower, from an electric shock," police told the British press. According to the same source there was "evidently a fault in the electrical system" and it "happened suddenly".

Pending the results of the post-mortem, hospital sources say the death was caused by cardiac arrest following the electrocution.

The investigation into the wiring

The technical examination ordered by the authorities covers the water heater and the electrical system of the property, a stone house rented by the family. According to sources cited by The Sun, the wiring had not been updated since 1970, even though the building held a certificate of habitability. The Irish Sun also reports that the fuse board had no safety device capable of cutting the current.

The case has hit the island community hard; it has fewer than a thousand residents. Municipal officials described it as an unprecedented tragedy. The family was known in the village and returned regularly: the boy's mother comes from Kimolos. Residents say the parents are devastated and are waiting for the findings of the investigation.

The case points to a known problem in holiday accommodation around the Mediterranean, where old buildings are let for short stays without their installations always meeting current standards. A residual-current device, mandatory in Swiss homes for decades, is the component that cuts the power when current finds a path to earth through a person.