TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Three workers were electrocuted when the crane from the boom truck they were in accidentally latched onto a high-voltage power line in southern Taiwan.

At 7 a.m., the Tainan City Government Fire Bureau received a report that a crane was suspected of getting snagged on a high-voltage power line about 500 meters south of Liukong Wharf in Tainan's Qigu District and caught fire. The person reporting the incident also stated that three people were trapped in the vehicle.

The fire department then dispatched firefighters from Qigu, Jiangjun, and Tucheng districts. When firefighters arrived on the scene they attempted to rescue the trapped workers, but soon found that all three had died after suffering fatal burns.

The fire was completely extinguished at 7:52 a.m. According to a preliminary police investigation, the deceased persons were all male and were identified as a 26-year-old surnamed Huang (黃), a 33-year-old also surnamed Huang (黃), and a 48-year-old surnamed Wu (吳).

The fire department pointed out that cranes should be kept away from high-voltage electrical equipment. If it is necessary to work near such electrical equipment, the power should be shut off first to lower the risk of electrocution and a safe distance should be maintained.

The exact cause of the accident is currently under investigation.