A man in a construction lift was electrocuted Saturday afternoon in downtown Danville, a police spokesman said.
The man, who was not immediately identified, was a contractor working at Danville Christian Church near Jefferson and Main streets, said Danville Police public information officer Nate Lien.
The man was in a lift when he made contact with a high-voltage power line and was later pronounced dead, Lien said.
The as-yet unidentified contractor, who was in his 50s, came into contact with the line while he working on the church gutters.
"It just appears it's a tragic accident at this point," Lien said.
Hendricks Power was on the scene to check the lines, he added. The death investigation is ongoing.
Keri Beavers, who is a member of the church, said she lives less than a block away and was home when the incident happened.
"All you heard was a loud bang and then the whole town lost power for a few minutes," Beavers said. "I wasn't sure what had happened or where it came from until the fire department was there."
She said there were some people at the church, including the victim, who were getting things ready for Palm Sunday. She said she was told it happened very quickly.
"This was just a very scary and tragic accident," Beavers said.