A man has died after being electrocuted while playing seven-a-side football on an artificial pitch, which is surrounded by a metal cage.
The 35-year-old man was rushed to hospital after suffering an electric shock at Mountbatten Leisure Centre in Portsmouth, Hampshire around 6.40pm last night, Portsmouth News reports.
Witnesses said paramedics desperately tried to save the man by giving him CPR, but Hampshire Constabulary confirmed this morning he had died at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth.
Police have now launched an investigation into the incident and the sports centre has been sealed off by officers.
It remains unclear how the man received the electric shock, but it was said to be raining at the time of the incident. Southern Electric said its engineers had attended to ensure the area was safe.
A Hampshire Police spokeswoman said:
Police were alerted to an incident outside a football pitch at the Mountbatten Leisure Centre at around 6.40pm last night. A 35-year-old man was found unconscious and was taken to Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham. Sadly, he was later pronounced dead. His next of kin have been informed.
A post-mortem examination is set to take place today.
A South Central Ambulance Service spokeswoman added:
We received a call at 6.36pm referring to an incident at the Mountbatten Leisure Centre in Portsmouth. A man was reported to have suffered an electric shock. A team leader ambulance and a rapid response vehicle attended the scene and took the man to Queen Alexandra Hospital.
Our thoughts are with his family at this time.
