Turkey earthquake: 'Finding people was more important than our lives'

A firefighter who helped to find earthquake survivors in Turkey has said the success of the search was more important than his personal safety.

The death toll in southern Turkey and northern Syria has now surpassed 35,000 after earthquakes on 6 February.

John Monaghan was one of four Cheshire firefighters deployed to help in the aftermath.

He said the risks they had to face were worth it for the "total happiness" when they found a survivor in the rubble.

The four firefighters, who have since returned home, formed part of the International Search and Rescue team - a global network comprising of more than 90 countries.

They flew out to Gaziantep on 8 February as part of a 77-strong team of specialists that also included four search dogs.

The four firefighters were part of a 77-strong team of specialists

Rescuers have been scouring the remains of collapsed buildings to find survivors

Mr Monaghan, who is based in Penketh, Warrington, told BBC North West Tonight they had to change their normal procedures in order to save lives.

He said one building "could have collapsed at any moment and you knew that going into it, but the search was more important at that time than our own lives".

"We found an old lady who was 91 and we got her out of a window," he said.

"We made a ladder out of fence and we climbed up.

"You wouldn't be able to do that in the fire service, but you had to do what you had to do.

"It was total happiness for everyone."

Andy Clarke climbed into a narrow gap as he searched for survivors

Fellow firefighter Ian Wilson, who is based in Lymm, Warrington, said "coffee and the morale of the team" helped him to keep going.

Fire service crew manager Dan Reed, from Penketh, said the team helped pull a woman from "a really small space" in the rubble of a collapsed building near Gaziantep.

"There wasn't many people that could fit in... so it was a bit of a team effort, passing rubble back in buckets in a bit of a chain [and] using small hand tools to break through the wall," he said.

"For a lot of it, you were upside down as well in the tunnel."

Mr Monaghan said they had to change their normal procedures in order to save lives

The death toll has now passed 35,000 but that figure is still expected to rise

Firefighter Andy Clarke, who is based in Chester, said the pictures that had been broadcast did not prepare him for the devastating reality of the situation.

His efforts to find survivors in another tiny space were captured in a photograph ,which showed his feet poking out of the rubble.

He said in that sort of situation, it was best to "just think of the positives" and the "benefits that can be achieved".

"We will only take risks to save lives and the point of this deployment was to save lives," he said.

"So I was taking those risks to go into these small spaces knowing that the worst could happen."

In a tweet, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was "fantastic to welcome home" the firefighters.

"We are so proud of them and the rest of the team who have helped with the rescue effort and reunited families with their loved ones," it said.

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