Five dead in British industrial blast

BOSTON: An explosion at an industrial estate in central England on Wednesday killed five men and seriously injured one more, police said.

The blast occurred shortly before 7:30 pm (1830 GMT) at the Broadfield Lane industrial estate in Boston, Lincolnshire, East Midlands Ambulance Service confirmed.

"We took a 999 call at 7:22 pm this evening," an ambulance spokesman said. "We dispatched one double-crewed ambulance and transported one patient to Boston hospital."

A spokeswoman for Lincolnshire police added: "Five men have been confirmed dead.

"Inquiries are ongoing and will be ongoing throughout the night to establish the cause of this explosion. The circumstances at the moment are still unclear, there will be a full forensic examination of the unit."

Six fire engines were sent to the scene, according to Steve Moore, an area manager from Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service.

"When the first crews attended they were faced with a really serious fire and a casualty who was outside the building suffering from burns," he said.

"The incoming crew then started to fight the fire, it was a really hot, intense fire."

Police would not confirm reports by local residents that alcohol was being illegally brewed at the estate.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2011