Woman on oxygen machine dies after power cut

WELLINGTON: A New Zealand woman on an oxygen machine died shortly after a power company cut the electricity supply to her home over an unpaid bill, family members said on Wednesday.

The alarm on her machine went off after a contractor cut the supply on Tuesday to the South Auckland home of mother-of-four Folole Muliaga, 44.

But the contractor for Auckland power company Mercury Energy told Muliaga and her family that he was just doing his job, Fairfax Media reported her son Letitaia Muliaga as saying.

He said she soon started complaining of headaches and being unable to see. Around two hours later she was dead.

Letitaia Muliaga, 20, said the contractor showed no sympathy.

Another spokesman for the family, Brenden Sheehan, said the contractor was shown the oxygen machine and told of her need for oxygen for a heart and lung condition.

The power company's general manager James Moulder said it was 'incredibly remorseful' at Muliaga's death but was still trying to find out exactly what happened.

Police said they were investigating the incident. "We will have a look at the whole circumstances, and make a decision on what the facts tell us and review that," said Inspector Bruce Bird.

He said it was too early to speculate on possible charges.

Trevor Mallard, the minister responsible for state-owned enterprises, said there were conflicting versions over the role of the company, with differences between what it had reported to him and what the family was saying.