MIRI, MALAYSIA: A suspected cable thief died on the spot after he was zapped by up to 11,000 volts at an electricity-supply sub-station along the Miri-Kuala Baram coastal highway.

The middle-aged self-employed man was electrocuted at the foot of an electricity-supply pole near the road leading to a coastal village on Sunday afternoon.

He was believed to have died instantly and there were burnt marks on his body.

Police have classified the case as one of sudden death caused by electrocution.

"Based on initial investigations, we suspect he was trying to dismantle the transformer when he got electrocuted. There is no foul play involved," said Miri police chief Asst Comm Jamaluddin Ibrahim.

The incident caused a massive blackout at several residential estates located in the area.

The number of cable thefts has risen sharply this year in Miri. Even a halfway home for psychiatric patients has been looted of its wiring three times in recent months.

Cable thieves go for the copper wiring and metal parts inside these cables and sub-stations.

Blackmarket scrap metal dealers pay very high prices for pure grade copper wires and iron and steel parts.