A FIREFIGHTER from Morecambe rushed out to earthquake ravaged India on Saturday to help in the rescue operation.

John McKie from Lancaster Fire Station joined 10 colleagues on an 11 hour flight from RAF Brize Norton to Ahmadabad and, after a 10 hour road journey, arrived in Bhuji - the epicentre of the devastating earthquake.

The team got to work straight away and have successfully located and rescued several survivors.

Team leader Peter Halleron described the situation in India.

He said: "It is absolutely heartbreaking to witness a tragedy of this magnitude and since we only manage three hours sleep each night we are pretty much exhausted. That said, the boost we get from finding someone alive and reuniting them with their loved ones spurs us on to greater effort."

Co-ordinating the relief effort in Lancashire, Station Officer Mick Doherty, who was himself a member of the team sent to the Mozambique flood disaster, said: "The mobilization of UK Firefighters has gone extremely well with a speed of the response which gives us the best possible opportunity to find people alive. Our team has a wealth of experience of working in the aftermath of earthquakes of this magnitude, with most involved in rescue efforts following the two earthquakes in Turkey in 1999."