- Title: IRAQ: BRITISH TROOPA RECOUNT THEIR ESCAPE FROM BURNING TANK IN BASRA
- Date: 21st September 2005
- Summary: (EU) BASRA, IRAQ (RECENT - SEPTEMBER 19, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. CROWD WATCHING BURNING TANK 2. MAN ON TOP OF ANOTHER TANK THROWING STONE 3. BRITISH SOLDIER EMERGING FROM TOP OF TANK WITH CROWD THROWING STONES AT HIM (W4) BASRA, IRAQ (SEPTEMBER 21, 2005) (MOD POOL) 4. (SOUNDBITE) (English) SERGEANT, GEORGE LONG, SAYING: "Well the crowd grew more hostile and moved close to the Warriers and were throwing petrol bombs and due to scopes being smashed at the front, my top cover and my hatches were open, one of the petrol bombs unfortunately hit the top and come in on top of me and my gunner. (QUESTION: SO WHAT DID YOU HAVE TO DO NEXT? WHAT DID YOU THINK OF DOING NEXT?) I had to get out because basically it was in flames on fire so we got out, I got over the back and luckily enough somebody put me out." 5. VARIOUS OF TANK 6. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TANK DRIVER PRIVATE, RYON BURTON, SAYING: "Right well the first thing I heard was the gunner shouting that his sights had been smashed. The second thing had a petrol bomb just on the louvres here just coming over the top of my hatch and the sergeant shouting that the petrol bomb had actually gone into the turret as well. Once the petrol bomb had gone into the turret it seeped down into the back ..and down into the driving tunnel which is located between the turret and the driving action. So I was on fire basically from the back and there was fire over the top of here. Managed to try and lift the opening device, which wouldn't open, so had to lean back, kick it. Managed to get it to release, hatch opened, managed to jump through the fire and get out basically." 7. SOLDIER ON GUARD 8. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TANK DRIVER PRIVATE, RYON BURTON, SAYING "Couldn't breath at all because of the fumes that was coming through, just needed to get out, just think about my life basically." 9. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LANCE CORPORAL JO MCCANN SAYING: "Then all of a sudden we heard the gunner saying that a sight had been smashed and then Sergeant Long said his sight had been smashed. I passed through some goggles and stuff for them for their eyes and then next thing we know all we heard was petrol and the petrol come through and blew this sideways and all the petrol come through the back here, so we opened the door, dismounted as quick as we could. Seen Sergeant Long as we were dismounting come across the top through here, dive over the back decks burning. As we got out me and another lad Colin realised that the gunner was still round in the turret or getting out the turret so we went around the front got the gunner off. People were putting him out and we got hold of him dragged him away to the medics then I returned to the vehicle as a driver. Got in as a driver to drive the vehicle, saw Sergeant Long in the turret again." 10. UNIFORM 11. (SOUNDBITE) (English) LANCE CORPORAL JO MCCANN SAYING: "It looked a lot worse than what it is. The warriers are quite tough with all the armour. All it was was basically petrol on top of metal burning. I mean apart from the one that went to the turret, nothing was seriously wrong with the vehicle, it was a bit hot to touch but is wasn't too bad. So I got into the drivers seat, drivers instruments all worked okay, so I just started driving again, as I'm a qualified driver anyway." (EU) BASRA, IRAQ (RECENT - SEPTEMBER 19, 2005) (REUTERS) 12. WOUNDED PERSON BEING CARRIED AWAY FROM TANK 3.25 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 5th October 2005 13:00
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- Location: BASRA, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Reuters ID: LVAAHQKVLZW7XKUKTB800MI3R23J
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