Tree pruner electrocuted in Melbourne

A worker who was lopping tree branches is dead after equipment he was using came into contact with powerlines.

A man has been electrocuted by powerlines while pruning trees in suburban Melbourne.

The 26-year-old worker was killed when using a cherry picker on La Trobe Street in Hughesdale about midday on Thursday, WorkSafe said, with investigations continuing.

The fatality brings to six the number of workplace deaths in 2019, compared to four at the same time last year.