Man electrocuted stealing copper cable from high-voltage tower in Almería, Spain

A death waiting to happen: copper theft claims another life in Almería, Spain

A man of Segarro origin, aged around 30, died of electrocution in the early hours of Friday while allegedly trying to steal copper cable from a high-voltage tower in the municipality of Viator, in Almería, according to EFE. The tower, located on Camino del Marchal in the La Juaida district, was not an improvised target: the same sources indicate that the man had already been caught days earlier carrying out the same incivil activity in the area.

The victim's profile fits the usual pattern of copper theft in Spain: foreign citizens in precarious situations who risk their lives for the value of the metal. Copper sells for between 5 and 7 euros per kilo at scrap yards, a figure that for many justifies climbing infrastructure carrying tens of thousands of volts. The high-voltage tower, owned by Red Eléctrica (Spain's electricity grid operator), suffered no structural damage, according to sources consulted.

The incident has generated a flood of comments on social media ranging from dark humour to outrage. Some suggest the tower should be renamed the "Moor-slayer tower" or the "tower of Santiago", a clear reference to the victim's nationality. Others point out the irony that the man, who according to one user had come to Spain to work as a driver, ended up making a living this way. The reality, however, is more prosaic: copper theft is a recurring problem that causes supply cuts, millions in damages and, every now and then, a death that nobody mourns but that should prompt reflection on the informal economy and the lack of regulation in the scrap metal market.

The authorities are keeping the investigation open to determine whether more people were involved. Meanwhile, the tower still stands, like an uncomfortable monument to what happens when need and greed meet on a stripped cable.