STROUD paramedic Claire Langshaw carries a baby to safety in the aftermath of the weekend's devastating earthquake in Pakistan.

Rescue workers from the Stroud area were among the first on the scene when the quake hit northern Pakistan.

A member of the Stroud branch of the Gloucestershire Ambulance Service, and part-time volunteer for Quedgeley-based charity Rapid UK, Claire is part of a team working day and night to free trapped civilians.

Shortly after news of Saturday's disaster reached Rapid UK, 25 volunteers were deployed to the Pakistani capital Islamabad.

Spokesman Brian Davison said: "We believe we were the first British team on the ground and we were working within 24 hours.

"We are searching through the debris, using special equipment to search for living casualties."

Once the initial search and rescue phase is complete, aid workers from larger organisations like Oxfam and the British Red Cross will take over.

As the SNJ went to print Rapid UK had successfully rescued five people. Gloucester-based charity SARAID (Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters) has also sent a team of volunteers to the region.

The team of 12 is searching through rubble in the northern town of Muzaffarabad, close to the epicentre of a quake - the worst in the region for a century.

SARAID spokesman Steve Webb said: "Volunteers have been using sophisticated technology to search for trapped people.

"The trapped person locator can pick up the sound of someone scratching under several tonnes of rubble.

"If all else fails, the debris is removed with bare hands."

* Donations for the rescue effort can be made to the British Red Cross (08450 535 353), Oxfam (0870 333 2500), Unicef UK (0800 037 9797) and Muslim Aid (020 737 74200).