A British serviceman has been killed in an explosion in southern Afghanistan, the Ministry of Defence said yesterday.

He was killed when his Viking vehicle was caught in a blast north of Sangin, Helmand province. His next of kin have been informed. Two other soldiers were injured and taken to Camp Bastion, the main British base, for medical treatment.

The death brings the number of British personnel killed in Afghanistan since 2001 to 97.

The attack adds to growing concerns over the vulnerability of British patrol vehicles to hidden devices.

The underside of armoured vehicles deployed in Helmand has proven to be highly susceptible to mines buried by the Taleban, and the Ministry of Defence is preparing to add extra armour to key vehicles. The relatively new Viking armoured troop-carrying vehicle – which was built for the Royal Marines for use in Norway but is now being used across desert routes in northern Helmand – has proven to be vulnerable to the mines, which are suspected of being supplied from Iran. Five Vikings have been destroyed by mines.

Although the Viking is well armoured on its sides, the mines have penetrated the armour underneath, placing the driver at greatest risk. The Army faced the same risk in the case of Warrior armoured vehicles in Iraq, which, for similar reasons, were found to be vulnerable to mines. An extra layer of armour had to be fitted to the belly of the Warriors. MoD sources said that similar steps were being taken to improve the armour on the Vikings.

An MoD spokesman said: “Viking is a very agile vehicle which obtains significant protection from being able to go where many other vehicles can’t. It is hard [for the Taleban] to predict and target. We are working on increasing its protection against mines.”

Captain James Glancy, who commands the Royal Marines Armoured Support Company and is in charge of the Vikings, told The Times recently: “The last dozen casualties, dead and wounded, have been caused by mines.”

The last soldier to die from a mine-strike was Trooper Babakobau, 29, a Fijian serving with the Household Cavalry Regiment, whose Spartan armoured vehicle was hit on May 2.

The threat to the British military vehicles from mines and improvised explosive devices in Iraq and Afghanistan has been one of the most controversial issues facing the MoD since the two campaigns began. A new vehicle, the Jackal, a seven-tonne “beast” capable of riding over mines, is being delivered to Afghanistan, but it will be some time before it can be used widely.

Wing Commander Scott Miller, the British officer in charge of protecting Kandahar airfield, said: “We don’t drive around in heavily armoured vehicles because part of our job is to interact with the local people. The heavier and bigger the vehicle, the fewer the routes you can take, which makes it easier for the enemy to launch attacks.”

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