Specialist fire crews have returned to Kent from quake-hit Haiti - after rescuing a man trapped under a bed.

Firefighters tunnelled for hours to free the man in his sixties - as part of the international search and rescue operation.

The man was thrown out of his bed by the earthquake and ended up under it. Firefighters believe it protected him and helped him to survive.

After rehydration, the lucky survivor recovered well and was treated for minor injuries.

The six Kent staff flew to the Caribbean island last week to help in the international effort to rescue survivors in the aftermath the earthquake which killed and injured thousands.

Arriving back at their Maidstone base this morning, team leader John Mazzey said: “Our initial task was to concentrate our search and rescue efforts in the capital, Port-au-Prince where the UK International Search and Rescue (UK-ISAR) team rescued several people trapped.

“On Sunday we were sent to the town of Leogane, about 25 miles west of the capital, which was much nearer to the epicentre of the earthquake.

"We found houses that had been completely ‘pancaked’ (flattened) and worked with local people who had either heard voices in the rubble or knew of people trapped inside.

“We experienced a major aftershock in the early hours of Wednesday morning but fortunately it did not harm our crews."

Soon after that, some members of the International Search and Rescue team flew to Petit-Guave, where they identified and cleared seven damaged buildings. Others stayed in Port-au-Prince.

The Kent crews joined staff from eight UK fire and rescue services including Greater Manchester, West Sussex, West Midlands, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Hampshire and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Services; totalling 64 staff, two search dogs and 12 tonnes of equipment.

John added: “The reception from the local community was very good and it was excellent to be able to help, but it is important that we are not a burden to the country and so we took our own food and accommodation.

"As soon as the rescue phase was declared over and our skills and training were no longer needed, we returned home.

“The team is very close knit and has worked together for a long time, but we also made sure we talked about anything we’d seen or done.”

KFRS Director of Operations Steve Demetriou said: “I am extremely proud of the team from Kent and the impact they have been able to make in the aftermath of this terrible earthquake. They are truly special people to be able to work in these types of situations.”

• Based in Maidstone, the 14-strong team has been selected fromexisting KFRS staff and is trained to use specialist equipment capable of handling a range of major emergencies. The team also forms part of KFRS’s Urban Search and Rescue response which has capability including kit to lift, cut and remove concrete and rubble from collapsed structures along with sophisticated equipment for finding casualties, including special cameras and listening devices. The tools they use can penetrate reinforced concrete and metal to gain access to casualties and the use of shoring equipment allows team members to maintain a safe working position during rescues.
• To donate to the Haiti appeal, go to the Disasters Emergency Committee website.