February 6, 2001 9:25: HERO Stuart Kinsey has told how he helped rescue a man buried beneath the rubble after the earthquake in India which killed thousands of people.

Stuart, 35, from Fernhurst Close, Beaconsfield, has just returned home after being part of the International Rescue Corps' efforts in Gujarat, north west India. The group was one of the first British teams at the scene.

Within three hours of starting work they had found 24-year-old Viral Dalal.

Stuart said: "He was so lucky and was in a hole the size of a coffin. He had been in there for around 100 hours. We had to break through thick concrete and steel to get to him."

Stuart and 14 others flew out from Brize Norton RAF base in Oxfordshire on January 25.

He said: "After landing in Ahmadabad, which was also affected, we drove for 11 hours in old trucks and coaches to Bhuj which was the epicentre. It had 90 per cent damage to the buildings. It was massive compared to anything I had seen and about the area of the UK."

He said people were desperate, adding: "They really try to help us as they see we have skills they haven't. When you pull them out you get a round of applause and sometimes hugged.

He added: "The most scary thing was the dogs. They were getting very hungry and would bite but they were rabid as well."