An investigation continues after two servicemen died in extreme heat in the Brecon Beacons. Military sources believe heat exhaustion may have been to blame for the death of two soldiers who collapsed on a training exercise in the area.
It has been suggested that the servicemen were taking part in a period of assessment in the selection process for the Territorial Army’s section of the SAS.
Police and the Ministry of Defence (MoD) are continuing to investigate the deaths of the men, while a third serviceman remains in a serious condition in hospital. The trio were part of a group training in Wales’ rugged Brecon Beacons earlier this month when the mercury hit 29.5C (85.1F).
A spokesman said there are no plans to change “routine exercises” in light of the incident, despite question marks over whether the extreme temperatures led to the men’s death.
My sympathy goes out to the families of the soldiers and whilst I understand that the training for such an elite squadron such as the SAS needs to be rigorous, I am left wondering whether more caution should have been taken with regard to the soaring temperatures we have recently experienced.
By Barry Sutton, Personal Injury department
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