A 12-year-old schoolboy and amateur boxer has died after his fishing rod struck a high-voltage power line.

The tragedy happened in Kanevskoy District, which is in the Russian Krasnodar Krai region, when the youngster named Iavn Gritsan went fishing with a rod on 15th July.

The boy had apparently tried to cast the line out in order to catch fish but the high-voltage line was hit by the rod instead, killing him instantly with a blast of 27,000 volts.

Neighbours paid tribute to the athletic youngster who was a keen amateur boxer, and a spokesman for his school said: “There is grief in our sports family. Our boxer Ivan Gritsan tragically died yesterday, July 15,

“He went fishing and was electrocuted after his fishing rod hooked on the overhead. Vanya was very kind, sympathetic and courageous, he did not have great success in sports, but he tried very hard, trained with Georgy Anastasov.

“For the family, this is a very great tragedy, the kingdom of heaven if ready for you Vanechka. If someone wants to help his family, write in a personal, we will not post details here.”

This is not the first tragedy in the place where the teenager died. Residents of the Kanevskoy District say that fishermen often die here.

Local residents asked the administration and the competent authorities to pay attention to the area and somehow protect vacationers and warn against similar cases in the future.