AN East Lancashire surgeon was today flying half way around the world as part of a mission to improve the lives of child earthquake victims.

Aamir Zubairy, of Whalley, a consultant orthopaedic surgeon based at Burnley General Hospital, helped treat victims of the Asian earthquake last year and is returning to carry out vital limb reconstruction work.

Today he was flying to Islamabad with a team of eight other consultants and medical staff to treat child victims whose broken bones have not healed or have developed chronic bone infections.

The expertise of the team, which also includes a reconstructive surgeon, theatre nurses, anaesthetists and specialist registrars, could mean the difference between the children losing their limbs or walking again.

Mr Zubairy, who is married with two young daughters, said the trip was much more organised than the previous visit, which was just one week after the disaster when the country was in chaos.

He said: "We have a lot more information this time and have been able to consult with people on the ground there. We will be mostly working towards children's welfare.

"What we have heard from preliminary visits is that there are about 20 patients waiting for our expertise but we would like to improve on that number.

"We will also be training local people so that they can continue the work. I heard the team was going but noticed that none of them had local knowledge of the area so I volunteered to go along as a surgeon and guide."

Mr Zubairy added: "If someone has broken a bone two things can happen. It can either heal well or like these people, the bones don't heal.

"Also if someone gets a wound on top of the broken bone it could lead to an infection which is difficult to eradicate unless you have the specialist techniques we use.

"These children won't be able to use their limbs which will be a severe disability and if they don't get treated soon they will end up losing their limbs."

The team the charity Mobile international Surgical Team (MiST) will spend a week working at the Ayub Medical College in Abbottabad, around 60 miles from Islamabad.

Various teams from across the country will go to Abbottabad with the MiST.