Mother on oxygen pump died after electricity company cut her off

A New Zealand mother who needed an electric oxygen pump to breathe died after a utility company cut the power to her home because she owed them NZ$168.40 (£62).

Police have launched an investigation into the death of Folole Muliaga, 44, on Tuesday in Auckland, which happened less than two hours after state-owned Mercury Energy cut power to her house.



Ms Muliaga, a teacher with four children aged five to 20, had been on sick leave since February and fell behind with her payments to Mercury, said Brenden Sheehan, a relative who provided a copy of the bill. On May 23, six days before a Mercury Energy worker arrived at the house to disconnect the electricity, she was in arrears.

Mr Sheehan claimed both Ms Muliaga and her son had told the technician she was dependent on the oxygen machine to stay alive and invited him into the house to see it, so he knew the situation. "Then he cut the power off," he said.

Almost immediately, Ms Muliaga began having difficulty breathing, became faint and then collapsed, he said. Paramedics were unable to revive her.