This is the horrific moment a singer was electrocuted by his own microphone as he introduced himself to a packed bar where his group was about to perform.
Carlos Suarez began to shout and stagger backwards with his right fist still gripping the mic after strumming the guitar and preparing to speak his first words to the crowd.
A quick-thinking sound technician and a member of another band, which had just finished playing, saved his life by disconnecting the microphone cable from the power supply as concert-goers near the stage shouted: ‘The current, the current.’
The musician was rushed to the hospital with burns, but fans initially feared the worst.
The drama happened as Carlos’ band Mi Major Amigo Scott, which in English translates as My Best Friend Scott, prepared to play at a bar in the Peruvian capital Lima.
Footage showed his muscles tensing up as the electric current he was receiving left him unable to react for nearly 10 seconds, apart from yelling as he keeled over backwards and ended up on the stage floor, tripping over band equipment.
His bandmates were seen rushing by his side to help him as he briefly lay motionless before suddenly jolting.
Hours later, Carlos, better known by his nickname of Mono, allayed fans’ concerns with an Instagram video showing him with bandages over his neck in which he admitted: ‘What happened could have had fatal consequences.
‘But I am okay health-wise. I have a couple of burns on my neck but no other complications, thankfully.’
He explained in an Instagram address after medical treatment: ‘When I plugged my guitar into the amplifier, I touched the microphone and received an electric shock that paralysed me for about seven seconds.
‘All I could do was scream and fall to the floor, where I continued to be electrocuted.
‘That was when the microphone fell onto my neck and caused two first-degree burns, which fortunately were superficial, which is why my neck is bandaged, and I’m taking medication.
‘But I’m pleased to say that apart from the burns to my neck, I am in good health, I am stable, and I have no complications in my body.
‘I was conscious throughout and although I was in shock, I was able to get back up onto my feet afterwards.’
He went on to claim he believed he nearly died because there was no ground wire, and high-voltage amplifiers without the right adaptors had been used.
In a second video address overnight, he admitted the earlier information he had been given about the probable causes of his electrocution had been incorrect, apologising for any confusion he had created.
But he added he was the victim of negligence, saying: ‘I went through a very traumatic situation and came close to losing my life. Whatever happened, I want to make sure that these sort of things never occur again.
‘I wouldn’t like to discover that a colleague who, like me, devotes himself to the independent music scene has to experience what I went through.
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‘I have been assured by the organisers of this event and others that performers’ safety is a priority. I would like to thank everyone for their support. I’ve even received messages from fans abroad.
‘I’ll be taking a break from live performances until further notice.’
Keith Richards was left unconscious on the floor after being electrocuted at a concert in Sacramento, California, in December 1965.
In July last year, Brazilian rock singer Ayres Sasaki, 35, died after suffering a serious electric shock when a sodden fan embraced him on stage during a performance at a hotel.
Reports at the time said Brazilian police had launched an investigation into the incident in Salinopolis in the northern state of Para.
