Driver killed in van explosion

Updated 18.57 Sat May 26 2007

Keywords: County Durham, driver, explosion

A driver has died after his van exploded in a village in the north of England.

The explosion happened in the Market Place, in Wolsingham, near Bishop Auckland, County Durham, at 7am.

A witness described the incident as a 'bomb blast' and said the Transit van had been 'obliterated' in the explosion

A witness described the incident as a "bomb blast" and said the Transit van, thought to have been carrying welding equipment, had been "obliterated" in the explosion.

Some of the wreckage from the van landed 200 yards away in a local church and other fragments blew out a shop window.

Fire crews were still damping down and have sealed off the Market Place area to deal with cylinders from the van.

A Durham Police spokesman said: "We can confirm the van driver died in the incident. The entire Market Place area has been sealed off for safety reasons."

He added that no details of the victim were being released.