Boy, six, dies in agricultural incident

A six-year-old boy has died after what police are describing as an "agricultural incident".

The incident happened yesterday in the village of Bethlehem in Carmarthenshire, West Wales.

A joint police and Health and Safety Executive investigation is under way into the circumstances surrounding the boy's death.

It is not being treated as suspicious.

Villagers in Bethlehem said the tight-knit rural community had been hit by a "wave of grief" at news of the death.

The six-year-old who was killed was named locally as Dafydd Bowen, of Pengoilan Farm.

"The situation is so terrible and, of course, coming so close to Christmas just makes it worse," said the wife of a local farmer who did not want to be named.

"I know that he was involved in some sort of accident with a tractor. His parents are inconsolable.

"The community is in a very sad state. Everyone is thinking of the family. People have been phoning one another and talking about it.

She said neighbours were rallying round with village youngsters taking over milking at the farm for the child's devastated father.

"Of course, his mother will have organised everything for Christmas. Dafydd had two younger brothers, aged three and four.

"It will be a terrible time for them but they will have to carry on for the other young children.

"Dafydd was such a happy little boy. This is a small community and he was well known."

She added that a Christmas Eve midnight service at Bethlehem Chapel had been cancelled as a mark of respect to the family.

"The family are regular chapel-goers and the great uncle and aunt and the boy's grandparents were all expected to attend."