Rescue team finds quake survivor

Rapid-UK helped pull one survivor from the rubble

A specialist rescue team from Gloucestershire has arrived back from Peru where it has been helping search for survivors of the earthquake.

The Rapid-UK search and rescue team, based at Quedgeley, Gloucester, helped save one survivor from the ruins of a hotel using an acoustic seismic device.

It works like a stethoscope to detect any noise from inside the rubble.

"In Pakistan we rescued seven people, five of whom were found using this kit," said Dan Cooke of Rapid-UK.

"When we have the cooperation of the people around, we'll actually bang (on any hard surface on the rubble) and wait for a reply and people have been found in this way before," said Mr Cooke.

Acoustic seismic equipment helped locate survivors

The organisation had spent the last two years training a Peruvian team in search and rescue techniques.

Rapid UK deployed a team within hours of getting the call to help and spent 72 hours in the disaster zone.

"Everywhere is dark apart from the fires, there are extremely dark narrow streets with buildings collapsed all over the place and there was a lot of dust in the air as well - that's what we were faced with when we first got there," said Paul Wooster of Rapid UK.

The quake last week left more than 500 people dead and thousands homeless in the Ica region, south of the capital, Lima.

The search for survivors has since been called off by rescue teams in the areas worst hit.