A dog owner and a passerby were zapped to death by a massive electric shock when they tried to rescue her German shepherd after it fell into a lake.

Unknown to them, a court in Moutier, in Bern, Switzerland, heard, that an electrical fault had turned the water live.

Eight workers and former employees at La Neuveville dock on Lake Biel are facing charges of negligent homicide.

Prosecutors said on 7th November that faulty wiring had turned part of a footbridge live underwater.

Victim Claire Schlafli, 24, was electrocuted when she leapt into the lake after her dog Makini was zapped and fell into the water.

Abd while she was dying, passerby Miranda Korn Birdsall, 53, jumped in to help her and was also shocked to death, the court heard.

Makini also died in the tragedy six years ago on 15th May, 2017, said prosecutors.

Investigators also found that the electrical system’s safety protocols had apparently been overridden so it did not switch off automatically during a power leak.

The court heard how maintenance crews apparently missed the fault when the power system was updated in 2017.

Prosecutors told the court: “With a proper inspection, possible problems with the electrical system or with the expansion carried out in 2016 could have been identified.”

During the hearing, Claire’s parents told of their anger over the six-year delay in bringing her daughter’s accused killers to trial.

Her mother told the court: “I’m still very sad and angry.

“I hope for a conviction for negligent homicide.”

Claire’s father added: “I lost my daughter, I lost the friendship between the defendants and us.

“These people have to answer for their mistakes.”

The verdict is due to be announced on 6th December.