ALTON — A 3-year-old died Wednesday near Alton because of unsafe wiring.

The girl, who lived in a mobile home, was electrocuted when she fell on a metal pipe containing exposed wires for a washing machine, said Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño.

“It was a tragic accident waiting to happen,” Treviño said.

There was exposed or unsafe electrical wiring throughout the house, which was home to the 3-year-old, seven siblings and the children’s mother, according to the sheriff.