Probe into tank blast will take until February

TWO BRITISH soldiers died after their tank exploded during a training exercise on a firing range, a coroner has heard.

Corporals Matthew Hatfield and Darren Neilson of the Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) died from injuries they suffered at the Castlemartin range in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on June 14.

At an inquest opening on Friday, the coroner was told the provisional cause of death for Cpl Hatfield was “burns”, while Cpl Neilson suffered a cardiac arrest as a result of blast-related injuries.

Both were experienced career soldiers who had served in Iraq and Afghanistan. A police-led joint investigation with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and a separate Ministry of Defence (MOD) service inquiry are currently under way into the circumstances.

Detective Chief Inspector Ross Evans, of Dyfed Powys Police, gave the coroner further details of what happened after emergency services were called to “a mechanical explosion” on the range at 3.30pm.

He said it was thought Cpl Neilson, 31, of Preston, Lancashire, was the tank commander and “we believe positioned within the turret” at the time of the blast.

Cpl Hatfield, 27, from Amesbury, Wiltshire, was the armoured vehicle’s operator and was “loading the ammunition in the tank”.

He was taken to Morriston Hospital, Swansea, but the married father-of-one died the following day. His colleague, also a married father with a young daughter, was taken to University Hospital Wales, Cardiff, but also died on June 15.

Both men were identified by their wives, Birmingham and Solihull Coroner’s Court was told.

Louise Hunt, senior coroner for Birmingham and Solihull, was also told that the police and HSE were working closely with the MOD on a service inquiry “to prevent any repeat incident”.

Mr Evans said the MOD Defence Safety Authority had started its investigation on June 27 and was not expected to finish until February next year.