Five die in Boston industrial estate blast

Five men were killed in an explosion at an industrial unit in Lincolnshire yesterday. The blast happened shortly before 7.30pm at Broadfield Lane industrial estate in Boston, Lincolnshire.

A police spokeswoman said five men have been confirmed dead, and a sixth man was taken to Boston Pilgrim Hospital suffering from serious injuries.

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

Boston Central Councillor Peter Bedford said he was shocked by the news. "I don't know the cause or even which unit it was in, but this is a real shock. We don't expect that kind of thing to happen in Boston. It's a small market town and predominantly agricultural."

Boston East councillor Mike Gilbert said: "I'm very anxious to find out exactly what's happened. It's a lot of people dead and a great tragedy."