A man who was among the first on the scene of a fire which led to the death of two men during the construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link told an inquest of the moment he found one of them.

Kevin Rix told the jury how he waited to hear from engine driver Douglas Lynch, 50 and railway shunter Darren Brown, 40, to let him know they had left the tunnel between Swanscombe and Essex and it was safe to enter on August 16, 2005.

But the call never came and Mr Rix was given permission by the safety supervisor to enter cautiously and check what had happened.

The inquest at Gravesend's Adult Education centre in Darnley Road heard how Mr Rix and his shunter Michael Moore found the train alight.

They then ran towards it and found Mr Lynch lying to one side: "He was curled into the wall and was badly burnt.

"He did talk to us but he was in a lot of pain," Mr Rix added.

After the pair searched for Mr Brown and could not find him, they transported Mr Lynch back out of the tunnel on their train.

Mr Lynch from Folkestone died four days later on August 20, 2005, while Mr Brown from Manchester was pronounced dead at the scene.

The inquest continues tomorrow and is expected to last up to three weeks.