Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo — A motorcyclist suffered severe burns and was rushed to the Isla Mujeres Community Hospital on Monday after a high-tension power line detached from a pole, burst into flames and fell on him as he rode along Jesús Martínez Ross Avenue.
The incident occurred near the César Mendoza Santana elementary school and also left three motorcycles and a vehicle practically charred, according to local authorities.
The accident was the second electrical failure to hit the island in a matter of hours. Earlier Monday, two poles owned by the Federal Electricity Commission (CFE) collapsed onto the roadway, blocking traffic and leaving nearly the entire island without power.
Civil Protection and firefighter personnel, along with municipal security officers, responded to extinguish the blaze, cordon off the area and prevent further risks to bystanders.
The incident has renewed calls for CFE to address the deteriorated state of its electrical infrastructure in Isla Mujeres and step up preventive maintenance on poles, transformers and wiring. Residents and tourists have endured frequent blackouts since the start of the hot season, despite the utility’s pledges to improve service. Users continue to pay high electricity bills without any discount for the repeated disruptions.
