Five men have reportedly been electrocuted in Rivers State while trying to erect a billboard with a metal frame.

It was gathered that four others sustained injuries and have been hospitalised at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH) receiving treatment.

The incident was said to have occurred in the Obiri-Ikwerre area of Rumuosi Community, Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state on Monday.

It was learnt that a team of nine men was mounting the billboard structure with a metal frame that conducted electric current from a high-tension cable.

Reports revealed that some of the victims are welders who fabricate metals at the MCC along Ikwere Road close to the Federal Government College, Port Harcourt.

It was not immediately clear if the Rivers State Signage and Advertising Agency (RISSA), an agency that regulates the mounting of billboards, approved the installation.

Both the Rivers State Police Command and RISSDA had not spoken on the incident at the time of filing this report.