A 74-year-old man from Mellieħa tragically lost his life this morning after being caught between a truck and a mechanical shovel.

The police said the accident happened at around 10.15am.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the victim was in the process of unloading a mechanical digger from a truck when, for reasons yet to be determined, he became trapped between the two pieces of machinery.

Despite the rapid arrival of personnel from the Civil Protection Department and a medical team from Mater Dei Hospital, the man was unfortunately pronounced dead at the scene.

Duty Magistrate Monica Borg Galea has launched an inquiry into the incident, and police investigations are ongoing.