Iran rescue team returns

Rapid-UK workers found no one alive in the devastation

Rescue workers have arrived back at their Gloucestershire base after a gruelling search for earthquake survivors in Iran.

The devastation was so bad, Quedgeley-based Rapid UK workers found no one alive.

The Rapid UK team arrived back at London's Stansted airport in the early hours of the morning.

The team of 20 had gone to Iran at the weekend to search through the rubble but the way buildings collapsed meant there was little hope of finding survivors alive.

They spent three days searching in vain with a team that included many first-timers.

'Quite harrowing'

They were part of a larger group which included fire and rescue crews from Essex, Hampshire and Kent, and sniffer dogs from British International Rescue Dogs and Canis.

Barry Sessions, 56, of Rapid-UK said the team had not found anyone alive, despite searching almost non-stop for three days.

"You give your best, but sometimes you have to accept that your best will not be enough," he said.

His colleague, John Holland, added: "The sheer scale of the devastation and the suffering of the people involved makes it all quite harrowing."