Inquest hears how Nuneaton soldier died in Afghan blast while helping colleague
Two soldiers, including one from Warwickshire, were killed by an explosion in Afghanistan alongside the injured colleague they were trying to rescue, an inquest heard
Fusiliers Louis Carter, from Nuneaton, and Simon Annis, from Salford, Greater Manchester, were carrying Lance Corporal James Fullarton, from Coventry, on a stretcher after an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated in a river bed near Sangin, Helmand province, in the early hours of August 16 last year.
They had only moved between five and 10 metres after picking up the stretcher when a second device exploded, causing them fatal injuries and wounding two others.
Warrant Officer (Class 2) Peter Burney, on patrol with the men, said of the second blast: "It threw me backwards on to the ground and at that point we immediately went into darkness. The dust went everywhere. After the explosion, I could hear people screaming."
It transpired the Taliban had planted at least seven further IEDs along the river bed, not previously considered a vulnerable area, in the hope of destroying a helicopter. They were later made safe.
The men, members of the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, died of blast injuries. The inquest at Trowbridge Town Hall was told each would have been rendered unconscious almost immediately, such was the extent of their wounds.
They had been on foot patrol following an explosion days previously, which had seriously injured another soldier, with the intention of clearing a route for bomb disposal experts to move in.
A metal detector was used to try to find IEDs in the soldiers' path, but it did not detect them despite being fully functioning. Fusilier Stanslaus Zvirawa, operating the Vallon metal detector, said it was likely IEDs with minimal metal content had been used by the Taliban insurgents.
Wiltshire Coroner David Ridley recorded verdicts that each soldier was unlawfully killed while on active service. Their families wept as details of their deaths were revealed to the coroner's court. They were among eight soldiers who lost their lives that week, Mr Ridley said.
Fusilier Annis, 22, had married Caroline in February last year, weeks before he deployed. L/Cpl Fullarton, 24, had become engaged to girlfriend Leanne while on leave from Afghanistan three months before his death and planned to marry this year. Fusilier Carter, 18, had been with the battalion for less than six months and was on his first posting.
