I seriously doubt that the young fella got close enough to the line to actually touch it.
This sounds like he was hit when he came within the minimum clearance distance of the line and an arc formed between the line, his body and the earthed tower he would have been holding on to.
Not a nice way to go IMO.
You can only do so much with barriers and the like, determined people will circumvent these.
All of the 66kV stuff I've ever done has either been with the lines de-energised and earthed or wearing a heap of hot gear and using hot-sticks, from a distance.
Electricity of this calibre has no friends, don't get in it's way.
