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Two killed in tank accident on Plain
From the Amesbury Journal, first published Thursday 19th Jul 2001.
A MILITARY exercise on Salisbury Plain ended in tragedy when a tank overturned, killing two young soldiers.
The commander of the 70-tonne Challenger 2 tank and his gunner were both killed instantly in the accident, near the training village of Imber, last Wednesday morning.
A third member of the four-man crew was trapped in the overturned vehicle for more than an hour, but suffered only slight injuries.
The two survivors were treated at Salisbury District Hospital and released.
The soldiers who died were Lieutenant Paul Syred (25), who was single and from Sedbergh, Cumbria, and Corporal Michael Paterson (28), who lived in Warminster with his wife, Joanne.
Both men were from A Squadron, 1 Royal Tank Regiment, based in Warminster.
The tank overturned after sliding down a steep bank. Heavy rainfall prior to the incident is thought to have been a factor.
An inquiry is being conducted by the Land Accident Investigation Team based at Netheravon, working in conjunction with Wiltshire Constabulary and the Health and Safety Executive.
* Inquests into both the victims' death have been opened and adjourned.
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