Taiwan man, 20, climbs electrical tower to photograph sunset, gets electrocuted, falls & dies

A 20-year-old man in Taipei was electrocuted and fell about 15 metres to the ground after climbing a seven-storey-high electrical tower to photograph the sunset on Aug. 14.

He was subsequently found dead at the scene.

The Taoyuan police said that an electrical surge from the man's body caused a wildfire on Datong Mountain in Taipei's Shulin district, according to Taiwan media.

Electrocuted & fell after taking pics of sunset

The man, surnamed Hsieh, was reportedly hiking near the Datong Mountain's observation platform with his 20-year-old girlfriend at the time, according to Formosa News.

At around 6pm, Hsieh decided to climb the tower to take photos of the sunset.

His girlfriend, Shang, remained on the ground and shared a final photograph of Hsieh sitting atop the tower before his death, according to Taipei Times.

Hsieh was subsequently electrocuted and fell about 15 metres to the ground.

He also caught on fire and this spread to dry silver grass in the area where he landed, causing a blaze.

Shang moved to higher ground and notified authorities.

Caused a wildfire

Firefighters from New Taipei City and Taoyuan were dispatched after a report of suspected electrocution was received at around 6:33pm, Taiwan outlet Central News Agency reported.

The man was found dead when firefighters arrived at the scene.

The fire had burned an area of about 30 square metres near the electrical tower.

Electricity to the area was cut off by Taiwan Power Company to aid rescue efforts, Taiwan News reported.

Initial investigations indicated that Hsieh died from cardiac arrest due to the electrocution.

His exact cause of death will be determined by a coroner.

Authorities in Taoyuan will also conduct an investigation and assess the safety measures of the electrical tower to prevent similar incidents in future.

Top image from Taipei Times & Formosa News/YouTube