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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Royal Marines 'hit roadside bomb' | Royal Marines 'hit roadside bomb' |
| (30 minutes later) | |
| Two Royal Marines were killed when their patrol vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, an inquest heard. | Two Royal Marines were killed when their patrol vehicle hit a roadside bomb in Afghanistan, an inquest heard. |
| Lt John Thornton, 22, from Ferndown, Dorset, died in Helmand Province alongside Marine David Marsh, 23, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. | Lt John Thornton, 22, from Ferndown, Dorset, died in Helmand Province alongside Marine David Marsh, 23, from Sheffield, South Yorkshire. |
| The men, of Somerset's 40 Commando, were both thrown from the vehicle, the inquest at Trowbridge Town Hall heard. | |
| The marines were killed on 30 March 2008, just before they were due to return home from a six-month tour. | |
| The pair from C-Company were travelling in a WMIK, a combat patrol model of the Land Rover, outside Forward Operating Base Zeebrugge, near the Kajaki Dam, the hearing heard. | The pair from C-Company were travelling in a WMIK, a combat patrol model of the Land Rover, outside Forward Operating Base Zeebrugge, near the Kajaki Dam, the hearing heard. |
| Lt Thornton and Marine Marsh, who was driving, were both thrown from the car as it turned into an area known as Thornton's Crescent and struck a pressure pad explosive device. | Lt Thornton and Marine Marsh, who was driving, were both thrown from the car as it turned into an area known as Thornton's Crescent and struck a pressure pad explosive device. |
| 'Blast wounds' | |
| Opening the inquest, Coroner David Masters said: "Marine Marsh died instantly. Lt Thornton suffered severe injuries. | |
| "Both after treatment were taken to Camp Bastion hospital by medical emergency response helicopter. | |
| "Both were certified dead so very sadly that day." | |
| A post-mortem examination conducted found they both died of blast wounds caused by an explosion, Mr Masters said. | |
| Lt Thornton joined the Royal Marines on 31 August 2004 and had previously served in Iraq. | |
| Marine Marsh had recently moved to Norton Fitzwarren, near Taunton in Somerset, with his wife Claire and young daughter Molly. | |
| He joined the Royal Marines in September 2002. | |
| Both men were deployed to southern Afghanistan in September 2007, and were five months in to their tour when they died. | |
| At the time, their deaths took the number of British military fatalities in Afghanistan since the start of operations in November 2001 to 91. That figure now stands at 153. |