Two 12-year-old girls who were returning from tuition classes through a waterlogged street in Dum Dum in northeast Kolkata were electrocuted when one of them accidentally came in contact with an iron post wrapped with a livewire on Wednesday evening.

Both were taken to the RG Kar Medical College and Hospital where they were declared dead.

Residents of Bandhab Nagar Colony said the girls were wading through water when a four-wheeler was speeding down the stretch.

The girls apparently stepped aside to make way for the car when one of them grabbed the iron post for support.

“One of them touched the iron post and got electrocuted. The other girl tried to help her and got electrocuted, too,” said a resident of the area, Krishna Banik, who said he was among the first few persons to reach the spot.

The neighbours identified the girls as Anushka Nandi and Sneha Banik. Both are students of Class VI in the same school.

Sneha’s family members said Anushka went to their home around 4pm, after which they left for their tuition class. The tragedy struck when they were returning home.

Surajit Roy Chowdhury, the coordinator of Ward 9 of South Dum Dum Municipality, where the incident happened, said he had spoken with the power utility and asked them to cut off power supply till the area was examined and declared safe.

“It was raining continuously. The moment I came to know about the incident, I alerted the fire department and the police. I have contacted the power utility company and asked them to cut off the supply tonight. It will be restored only after a thorough inspection of the area is conducted tomorrow morning,” he said.

The incident happened a day after three members of a family were electrocuted in their house, which had been waterlogged for days.

Electrocution has been the biggest killer in Kolkata after every spell of rain.

Cyclone Amphan had caused 19 electrocution deaths in the city last year. The six deaths reported in the city in the past 24 hours suggest nothing has changed.

Pedestrians continue to die while walking through waterlogged footpaths after coming in contact with lamp posts or snapped wires hanging along the road.

In May, a 25-year-old engineer had died after coming in contact with a lamp post on a footpath near Raj Bhavan.

In June, an 18-year-old youth and a 36-year-old biker got electrocuted in separate accidents in Patuli and Haridevpur.

In 2016, a 14-year-old student was electrocuted while wading through water on a Bhowanipore road and collapsed after touching a lamp post.