Emotional reunion as firefighters return

A HEROES welcome greeted search and rescue officers from Greater Manchester as they returned from witnessing the horror and destruction left in the wake of the Japan earthquake and tsunami.

Among those arriving at Manchester Airport on Saturday was Royton firefighter Peter Stevenson, who joined 58 other rescuers from across the UK in the search for survivors.

But what was supposed to be a rescue mission turned into a recovery effort, as the team found no survivors among the debris of destroyed towns in some of the worst hit areas of Japan’s north-east coast.

Peter, who led the team, said: “It was like going into a different dimension. It’s like suddenly stepping across a line and seeing total disruption, it’s a very eerie feeling and so quiet compared to the hustle and bustle of non-affected areas.

“The swift acceptance to the request for international assistance enabled the UK to be the first search and rescue team working in the worst affected areas.

“The work carried out by the team has been extremely challenging and arduous, as ever they performed their tasks with the utmost professionalism and skill.”

The team spent three days working amid tsunami warnings and aftershocks.

More than 18,000 people are either dead or missing in Japan.

Fire Service spokesman Paul Duggan said: “They were tired and weary after a long journey. It really was quite an emotional reunion and families were delighted to see them back. Hopefully now they’ll be able to get some well-earned rest.”