Two women find elderly father electrocuted

An elderly woman's sense of duty towards her neighbour was instrumental in alerting the family that something was amiss with an 80-year-old man, who was found dead from an electric shock yesterday morning.

The octogenarian, Ġużi Pace was found lying on the floor of his house in San Ġorġ Street, Gżira, at about 9.30 a.m., still clutching a live electric wire. The neighbour had contacted the man's daughters after noticing that his phone had been ringing for a while without anyone picking it up.

His car, still parked outside, suggested to her that he probably had not left the house and this made her call for help.

He had been long dead by the time his two daughters, Marthese and Susan, arrived in the morning, his grandson Marvin Spiteri told The Times.

Fearing the worst, Susan was reluctant to go inside and left it to the older sister. Entering the bedroom, Marthese found her father's lifeless body.

On trying to remove the wire from her father's grip, she too got a shock.

A Navy chef for over 25 years, Mr Pace lived on his own after his wife died 22 years ago, his family said.

The police are investigating, while Magistrate Michael Mallia is holding an inquiry.