Boy dies after snowplough accident

A five-year-old British boy has died after he was buried by a snowplough at a popular Spanish ski resort.

The boy died in hospital in Toulouse, France, yesterday, the Foreign Office confirmed.

It is understood he was covered by a mound of snow after the driver of the machine failed to see him playing near a ski lift at the Baqueira Beret resort in the Pyrenees.

The boy's heart is believed to have stopped just a minute before he was rescued.

The boy, who was named in reports as Frederico Nicholls Lopez, from Islington, north London, was taken to hospital after the incident on February 25.

He died yesterday after 11 days in intensive care.

According to Spanish media, magistrates are considering whether to bring charges against the driver.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We can confirm the death of a five-year-old boy in hospital in Toulouse yesterday.

"We do not disclose the names or personal details of minors."