An investigation is underway after 17-year-old Private Kevin Sharman, from Derbyshire, was killed in a training accident.

One of the divers was able to locate the body very quickly and bring it to the surface where paramedics were in attendance

Gary Evans, West Brecon Cave Rescue Team

It is thought he became separated from his group during a training exercise in a cavern complex in the Porth-yr-Ogof caves near Ystradfellte in the Brecon Beacons National Park.

His body was recovered by a diver, and a post mortem is due to be carried out on Tuesday afternoon.

An Army spokesman said that Private Sharman had just started a five-day course in south Wales, which would include caving, hill walking and canoeing.

He was based at the Army Technical Foundation College, near Reading, for a 28-week training course before he was set to join the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers.

As part of a joint investigation with the Army, Dyfed-Powys Police are speaking to all the personnel involved in the incident, and will be visiting the site.

The soldier was airlifted to hospital

On Monday, officers said that the teenager, who attended the Army Training Foundation College, fell into a rock pool known locally a 'resurgence'.

Gary Evans, of the West Brecon Cave Rescue Team, was one of the volunteer cave rescuers called to the scene.

"One of the divers was able to locate the body very quickly and bring it to the surface where paramedics were in attendance," he said.

An army spokesperson has confirmed the body was recovered from the 2.53km cave, to which fire crews scrambled at 1418 BST.

He was flown to Morriston Hospital in Swansea by air ambulance, but was pronounced dead on arrival.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson confirmed the fatality.

White horse cave

Porth-yr-Ogof is famed in the caving community for a horse-like rock formation deep inside, formed from calcite.

It has the largest cave entrance in Wales, 20 metres wide and three metres high.

The caves are a known danger spot

According to the UK Caves website, Porth-yr-Ogof is "an open access cave with several entrances and a very bad reputation for deaths".

"The cave is very much overused by adventure groups. The main route follows the river which in wet weather flows into the main entrance, the largest entrance in Wales.

"Upstream inlets enter a complex divers-only area and to the right inside the main area, a complex of passages bypasses a deep section in the main route.

"The water exit is the area that has claimed so many lives, being deep and cold with strong undercurrents."