CHARLESTOWN - A Verizon worker was electrocuted while working near live power lines off Alton-Carolina Road in the Alton section of town late Saturday morning, the police said.
First responders "immediately determined that the Verizon employee had sustained fatal injuries after coming in contact with live power lines," the police said.
The police said they received a 911 call from a Hill Top Drive resident who reported an explosion involving a Verizon truck, a lineman and power lines.
The police identified the worker as Charles J. Austin, 41, of Hopkinton.
Describing the death as an industrial accident, the police said it is being investigated by the state medical examiner, the police and the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Officials impounded the bucket truck, the police said.