Blasts kill two servicemen

Two British servicemen died within hours of each other after being wounded in separate incidents in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday.

A Royal Marine died at Selly Oak Hospital in Birmingham late on Wednesday night from injuries he sustained near Lashkar Gah in Helmand Province on Friday. A soldier from 2nd Battalion The Mercian Regiment was also killed in an explosion near Garmsir in Helmand yesterday morning.

The servicemen have not been named but their families have been informed. The Marine, a member of the Royal Marine Armoured Support Group, was seriously injured when a blast struck his Viking armoured vehicle. He was given emergency medical aid in Afghanistan before being flown back to Britain for specialist treatment, but he died from his wounds five days later.

The second serviceman was killed by an improvised explosive device, according to the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force. The military spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Nick Richardson, said it was an "incredibly sad day" for the whole of Task Force Helmand.