A FIREFIGHTER has spoken of the determination of an elite rescue team which flew to India following the devastating earthquake last week.

As estimates of the number of dead passed the 30,000 mark, leading firefighter Ged Richmond spoke from the town of Bhuj, which was at the centre of Friday's 7.9 Richter Scale quake.

Ged is one of three fire officers from East Lancashire and one of 11 from across the county deployed to the Gujarat region following the quake, which was felt across the Indian subcontinent.

The area was yesterday rocked by further tremors, this time measuring between 3.5 and 4.6 on the Richter Scale. But Ged, whose East Lancashire colleagues are station officer Andy Barnes, from Oswaldtwistle, and firefighter Mark Southworth, from Darwen, said they were determined to keep looking for survivors.

Ged, who is based in Burnley, said: "We got out here much quicker than previous incidents, such as the Turkish earthquakes, which means we have a better chance of finding survivors.

"We rescued a 28-year-old woman from under rubble on Sunday evening and that has spurred us on.

"We don't need motivation. We know why we are here."

He added: "From horizon to horizon, it is just rubble." Ged and his colleagues, who have experience of helping in the Mozambique relief effort also, flew out of RAF Brize Norton on Saturday morning before making the 10-hour land journey to Bhuj from the Gujarat state capital of Ahmadabad.

They have rescued several survivors. Co-ordinating the relief effort in Lancashire is station officer Mick Doherty, who said today: "The mobilisation of UK firefighters has gone extremely well, with a speed of response which gives us the best possible opportunity to find people alive.

"Our team has a wealth of experience in working in the aftermath of such earthquakes."

Lancashire Fire and Rescue press officer John Taylor added: "They are using specialist equipment and diggers, but sometimes it comes down to moving the rubble with their bare hands." Some 250,000 people remained displaced following the earthquake. The true death toll will not be known for weeks as many villages are feared to have been partially wiped out.

One of the latest people to be rescued by the British team was a 10-year-old boy. His brother had died by the time rescuers reached him yesterday, and his mother died alongside him as he was rescued.

Meanwhile, thousands of Pakistanis fled their homes in the middle of the night after rumours of an imminent earthquake. People panicked in Hyderabad, fearing the city was about to suffer a similar fate as their neighbours in India. Word spread after loudspeaker announcements in mosques called on people to pray.

The Lancashire team is expected to remain in India until the weekend at least.

The Earthquake Appeal For India, has been launched by Moulana Ahmed Sidat, chairman of the Lancashire Council of Mosques, alongside prominent councillors and Lord Patel of Blackburn.

The bank account for the Appeal is at the National Westminster Bank in Eanam, Blackburn. Account number is 14010593, using sort code 01-00-85.

Lancashire Council of Mosques, which is behind the appeal, can be contacted on 01254 692289.