SALISBURY firefighter Dan Cooke has returned from Peru where he was involved in the search and rescue efforts following the country's devastating earthquake.

The shock, which reached 8.1 on the Richter Scale, hit the central coast of Peru, causing widespread damage.

Dan, who is a member of Rapid-UK - a charity which responds to global humanitarian crises - was put on standby and, two days later, he arrived at the disaster area.

"You never know what to expect when you set off," he said. "Our sponsors, BA, were absolutely brilliant at getting us there as soon as possible, but there is always a feeling of uncertainty and we were concerned about our colleagues already working in Peru who we had helped to train."

The team was stationed in the city of Pisco, where 16,000 buildings had been destroyed.

Around 200 people were reported missing in the city's historic cathedral, which was 98-per-cent damaged in the earthquake, and several more were thought to be trapped in the Hotel Embassy nearby.

Using a sophisticated listening device, search camera and satellite communications, the team worked day and night hunting for survivors buried in the rubble.

"We were tunnelling through the rubble and crawling into tiny spaces," said Dan.

"It was pretty tough, with four storeys of the building on top of you and the threat of aftershocks."

Although they helped to locate bodies, sadly the team was not able to find anyone alive.

"It was very difficult but, at the same time, with families waiting outside, it was important for us to be able to give them news," said Dan. "Also, we had been training a team called Rapid Latin America, which had rescued someone and that, for me, was very encouraging."

The team assessed hundreds of damaged buildings in the hunt for survivors and helped to co-ordinate the rescue effort.

"Because the shock hit at around 6pm, most people were awake and managed to get out of their homes," said Dan. "It is a very poor area and the majority of people live in huts made of packed mud and wood.

"But, even though they lost everything, we saw groups of children laughing and cheering because they were so happy that they and their families had survived."

This is the fifth Rapid-UK mission that Dan has been involved with. In October 2005 he helped to save the lives of seven people who were trapped in an apartment block following the horrific earthquake in Pakistan.

He has also been sent to Kenya and helped co-ordinate the response during the recent floods in Gloucestershire.

"Everyone with Rapid is a volunteer and I'm very lucky that my employers, Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, are so supportive," he added.

Also on the Peru mission was Rebecca Ellis, who works for Churchfields-based crisis management consultancy Steelhenge.

If you would like to find out more about Rapid-UK or help with fundraising to enable the team to continue its work in disaster areas, visit www.rapiduknews.org.uk.