A day of rest in the Garden City turned into a nightmare for a family of tourists. The Municipality of Viña del Mar ordered an immediate technical audit and a review of all the lighting in the Las Salinas area after a pet died from electrocution upon contact with the base of a streetlight. The incident occurred last Friday around 7:30 PM while the family was returning from the beach.
According to the harrowing account of the dog's owner, Katherine Osorio, the accident happened instantly as they attempted to cross at a traffic light. "We heard the dog yelp, it fell to the ground, and we saw it biting its tongue. We desperately tried to perform resuscitation maneuvers, not knowing who to call," explained the affected owner.
Third-party responsibility From the municipality, the municipal administrator Erick Layana confirmed that emergency teams arrived at the scene to provide support to the family. However, the focus of the authorities is on the external company responsible for the supervision and maintenance of the electrical structures in the area. Layana was emphatic in describing what happened as an "inexcusable failure," assuring that severe technical and disciplinary measures will be taken once the detailed report required from the contractor is delivered.
The municipality's goal is to establish the relevant administrative and legal responsibilities, seeking to ensure that there are no other structures with current leaks that pose a risk to pedestrians or animals. Preventive review As an immediate mitigation measure, municipal crews are already deployed in the Las Salinas area conducting insulation tests on the poles to detect possible ground faults or exposed wires, preventing this technical negligence from leading to a human tragedy.