A tank explosion which killed two British Army soldiers was caused by a design flaw, a coroner has found.
Royal Tank Regiment corporals Matthew Hatfield, 27, and Darren Neilson, 31, died during a live firing exercise at Castlemartin Range in Pembrokeshire.
A seal stopping explosive gases escaping into a tank crew’s turret was not in place before the lethal blast. The manufacturer failed to spot the tank’s gun could fire without the key safety component.
Cpl Neilson, 31, from Preston, Lancashire, was the tank commander and was thrown from the turret in the blast on 14 June 2017.
Cpl Hatfield, 27, and a father of one, from Amesbury, Wiltshire, was loading ammunition. Both men were taken to hospital but died of their injuries the following day.