Colleagues of a worker killed after an accident at a Corus tin plate plant are being offered counselling.

Maintenance engineer Francis Coles, 42, died in hospital after an incident at the Trostre plant, in Llanelli, in the early hours of Saturday.

Many of those who would have worked with Mr Coles have been offered counselling Corus spokesman

Flags at plants operated by the Anglo-Dutch company across Britain and the Netherlands flew at half mast as a mark of respect.

Senior managers from the plant have visited the family of father-of-three Mr Coles in Five Roads, near Llanelli, to pay their respects.

A Corus spokesman said: "They spoke with the family, offered their sympathy and gave any practical help they could.

"The most important thing that the family did ask was to ensure that we got to the bottom of what exactly happened at the plant.

'Shock'

"We assured them that we would do that, because it is important to ensure something like this never happens anywhere else.

"The mood at the plant is still one of utter shock.

"Many of those who would have worked with Mr Coles have been offered counselling.

"We foresee most of those taking up the offer."

The Trostre plant, which employs 940 people, was also shut overnight following the accident as a mark of respect.

A joint Dyfed-Powys Police and Health and Safety Executive investigation is continuing and Corus has set up its own inquiry.

But the Corus spokesman added that it was too soon to speculate about the reasons for the accident.

'Well-liked'

The Corus spokesman added: "He (Mr Coles) had worked at the plant for 15 years and was very well-liked.

"The plant has an exemplary safety record and this has shaken everyone."

Mr Coles worked in the cold reduction area of a mill which thins down stripped steel before coating it in tin for the beverage industry.

Following the accident at 0100 GMT, Mr Coles was taken to Prince Philip Hospital in Llanelli, where he later died from his injuries.

Devastated

Llanelli Assembly Member, Helen Mary Jones, added: "Everybody is just stunned and devastated.

"I've been able to talk to management - it's too soon to say how this accident happened, but they have promised that investigations will be thorough."

The accident follows the disaster at the nearby Corus plant in Port Talbot in November 2001, when three men were killed and another 12 injured in an explosion.

The number five furnace involved in the explosion reopened on Thursday following a �75m reconstruction.