A dramatic video captured the moment an electrical box exploded under a pedestrian in Peru.
A street surveillance camera showed Elvira Taipe walking along a sidewalk in the Lima city of Comas on Thursday.
The mother-of-two was about to step over the concrete cover of the underground electrical box when it suddenly exploded, sending her crashing to the street pavement.
The impact of the explosion sent the cement lid flying through the air before it fell on Taipe’s shoulder as he tried to get out.
Two soldiers, including one near Taipe, rushed to help.
Taipe was transferred to the Sergio Bernales Hospital in Collique, where she was treated for a fracture in her right shoulder.
As of Sunday, she was still hospitalized, her sister, Rosaura Taipe, told RPP Radio.
An underground electrical current exploded and injured Elvira Taipe in Lima, Peru, last Thursday. The mother of two suffered a fracture to her right shoulder and remained hospitalized as of Sunday.
Engineers were on site Sunday working to repair the electrical box that exploded and injured a pedestrian last Thursday.
“She’s a businesswoman,” Rosaura said. ‘She works for her children and now she won’t be able to work.
‘His situation is bad and it is not fair for him to stay there just like that. We have to help her, we have to feed her,” he added.
The family initially told the radio station that they feared Elvira would have her arm amputated.
“She cries and cries because of the helplessness of not being able to move and because of the fear of what will become of her two youngest daughters,” Rosaura said.
Elvira Taipe is carried away by first responders moments after she stepped on the concrete cover of an underground sidewalk electrical box that exploded in Lima, Peru, last Thursday.
Elvira Taipe, mother of two children, steps on the concrete cover of an electrical box before it explodes
A soldier removes Elvira Taipe’s concrete slab moments after the mother of two fell to the ground and landed under the pavement after an underground electrical box exploded in Lima, Peru, last Thursday.
A hospital official told the radio station that Elvira will undergo medical imaging to determine if the tissues in her shoulder have been compromised.
An initial inspection by the Department of Energy and Mining Investments found that the cover of the electrical box was blown off due to a short circuit.
The agency said the electrical box contained the wiring necessary to operate the traffic light network along Tupac Amaru Avenue.
The explosion left certain parts of the neighborhood without power.
Engineers were on site Sunday working to repair the electrical box and restore power.
In a statement, the Lima Public Ministry said that the city government of Comas and Pluz Energía Perú, which supplies electricity, are being investigated.