BBC News - Five men dead in Boston industrial estate explosion

Five men dead in Boston industrial estate explosion

 

Five men have been killed and a sixth has been taken to hospital in Nottingham

Five men have died and one man has been seriously injured in an explosion at a small unit on a Lincolnshire industrial estate.

Police, fire and ambulance crews were called to the Broadfield Lane Industrial Estate at about 1900 BST on Wednesday.

A Lincolnshire Police spokeswoman said she believed the explosion had been very quick and the men died instantly.

The sixth man has been taken to the Queen's Medical Centre in Nottingham.

Unconfirmed reports from local residents said they believed the men may have been migrant workers brewing illegal alcohol in the industrial unit.

Nerys McGarry from Lincolnshire Police said officers were at the scene and would remain at the unit overnight to carry out a forensic examination of the site.

Arm 'ablaze'

She said it was not yet clear what had caused the blast.

Ms McGarry said she understood the explosion was a rapid blast as opposed to an "extensive fire" but could not give any further details.

"We do not have any further information about the men, their ages and where they are from but we will be making inquiries throughout the night and can give a further update in the morning," she said.

BBC Radio Lincolnshire reporter Scott Dalton, who was at the scene, said residents in the area had seen thick, black smoke coming from the industrial estate.

"Locals have been telling me they didn't even hear an explosion or even a bang," he said.

Paul Featherstone, who lives nearby resident, described what he had seen. "I heard the one fire engine come down, then a few more.

"I didn't hear an explosion, I just saw the smoke. If the explosion didn't kill them, the smoke would have done because it was that bad. It was thick, black smoke coming through the roller doors," said Mr Featherstone.

 

The five men were killed instantly in the explosion

He added he was told by another eyewitness that one man ran out "with his arm all ablaze".

It is understood this is the man who was initially taken to Boston Pilgrim Hospital before being transferred to the QMC in Nottingham where he remains in a serious condition.

Speaking on BBC News, Lancashire Police spokesman Dick Holmes said the five dead men had been killed "pretty much outright".

He described the sixth man as having been "very seriously injured".

Commenting on claims that the men might have been brewing alcohol, he confirmed it was one line of inquiry but appealed for anyone who may know what activity was taking place at the unit to contact police.

The industrial estate was close to the town centre and made up of between 12 and 15 units that were "relatively small", he said.

Boston Central Councillor Peter Bedford described the news as a "real shock".

"There is heavy industry in that industrial estate, there's a scrapyard, there's joinery works, it's a real mix."

Boston East councillor Mike Gilbert said: "I'm very anxious to find out exactly what's happened. It's a lot of people dead and a great tragedy."

Canon Robin Whitehead, Rector of Boston, described the incident as "extremely sad and tragic".