This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/uk/7008865.stm

The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Soldier dies after Iraq accident Soldier dies after Iraq accident
(about 2 hours later)
A British soldier has died following a vehicle accident in southern Iraq, the Ministry of Defence has said. A British soldier has died following a forklift truck accident in Iraq.
Sgt Mark Stansfield, 32, who was soon to become a father, died in the UK after the forklift truck accident at Basra Air Station on Wednesday. Mark Stansfield, 32, of Oxfordshire, who was soon to be a father, had been flown to a Birmingham hospital after Wednesday's Basra Air Station accident.
Sgt Stansfield, from Oxfordshire, of 32 Close Support Squadron, UK Logistic Battalion, had also been treated in Iraq but died from his injuries. Sgt Stansfield, of 32 Close Support Squadron, UK Logistic Battalion, was described as "a first class soldier" with a "bright career ahead".
He was described as "a first class soldier" with a "bright future ahead". Defence officials said he was carrying out security checks at a supply point to the base when the accident happened.
Operation
Doctors operated on him at the base's field hospital before he was flown the following day to Selly Oak Hospital, in Birmingham, for further treatment.
His condition deteriorated soon after his arrival and he died with his family at his bedside on Friday.
He was admired by the soldiers he led and respected by everyone Lt Col David Roberts
Sgt Stansfield joined the Army at the age of 17 and trained to become a driver.
He went on to serve in the Balkans, Northern Ireland and Iraq.
As a keen footballer, he helped set up an army football team while in Iraq and had been in Basra almost four months.
'Respected and admired'
Lt Col David Roberts, Sgt Stansfield's commanding officer in Iraq, said: "He was a first-class soldier and a very fine senior non-commissioned officer, with an extremely bright career ahead of him.
"He was admired by the soldiers he led and respected by everyone."
His squadron commander in Iraq, Maj Dave Poole, described Sgt Stansfield as "a diligent man, who never accepted second best" and said he had been looking forward to returning home to his pregnant wife Joanne, who he married last Christmas.
Defence Secretary Des Browne said Sgt Stansfield had been a "hugely brave, dedicated and ambitious soldier" who would be "sorely missed".
He added: "My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this incredibly difficult time."
Sgt Stansfield's death takes the total number of UK troops killed in operations in Iraq to 170 since the US-led invasion of 2003.