§ Mr. Thorneasked the First Lord of the Admiralty if he can give any information in connection with the explosion in a North-west of England factory; how many men and women were killed and injured; and what was the cause of the explosion.
Mr. AlexanderI regret to have to report that four men and seven women lost their lives in the explosion to which my hon. Friend refers. Thirty-nine persons were injured, but only seven of them had to be detained in hospital. The circumstances of the explosion are being investigated by a Board of Inquiry. I should like to take this opportunity of expressing the sympathy of the Admiralty with the relatives of those who have lost their lives and with the injured.