Tragedy as camp fire explodes

A YOUNG man has died and another was seriously injured after an explosion on a beach in Brittany.

A 26-year-old died at the scene of the accident while a 25-year-old was taken by helicopter to Nantes where he is in a critical condition, reports regional paper Ouest France. Eight other young people from the group were taken to Lorient Hospital suffering shock.

The group, said to be from the nearby commune of Guidel, were camping out on a beach on the Ile de Groix off Lorient – la plage des Sables Rouges – at the weekend when their camp fire is thought to have caused an explosion.

Bomb disposal experts and pompiers were called to the scene and it is thought the explosion may have been caused by an old Second World War bomb.

The area has been cordoned off and gendarmes said an “involuntary homicide” enquiry has been opened. They added the group was camping without permission in a protected area.

Photo: Google images map of the Ile de Groix