Returning firefighter tells of Venezuela earthquake 'devastation'

A firefighter who travelled to Venezuela to help in the aftermath of last month's devastating earthquakes said the destruction was "hard to put into words".

Wayne Ward, from Hindley in Wigan, Greater Manchester, has returned to the UK after nine days working as part of the UK International Search and Rescue response.

The 44-year-old flew out on 26 June as one of 68 British fire and rescue service members to volunteer after the quakes just two days previously, helping to rescue 14 people.

"It's hard. The local population had got no homes, they're missing loved ones. They were just very thankful for us being. They felt like the world had come to help them," he said.

Ward, who is based at Bamber Bridge fire station in Preston, was one of 15 members of Lancashire Fire and Rescue who joined the team, being deployed with four others as part of a rotation.

There were also crews from Cheshire, Merseyside and Greater Manchester.

The official death toll from the disaster has now passed 3,500, according to an update from Venezuelan authorities on Monday.

"It's hard to put it into words sometimes, seeing the people and the local population who have just lost all their loved ones and stuff," Ward said.

"We're going out there to do a job but we do show a lot of empathy towards the people of Venezuela.

"They were really good, really helpful to us, trying to give us water when they needed it the most.

"Them offering things when they've literally got nothing at that moment in time. Yeah, it just, it shows a lot of what type of people they are."

"It's very hard in such circumstances," he said of the rescue efforts.

"There is a lot of concrete and rubble coming down. Some of the buildings that collapsed were over 10 stories high."

Ward said this was his third international deployment, having volunteered in both Turkey and Morocco in 2023.

"This is my third time now so it's getting less shocking each time. We've just a job to do," he continued.

"I mean obviously seeing it, the devastation and the buildings collapsed, the roads are damaged, bridges are damaged, there's big cracks in the road from the earthquake.

"There's a lot going on, there's a lot of noise, a lot of smells but I've started to be able to just you know get used to that and focus on what the job in hand is."

"It's just about helping people," Ward said.

"That's naturally what I want to do. I joined the fire service to help people and I really wanted to help people on an international level.

"I feel very proud. It doesn't matter what country you're from, if people need help then it's just something I want to do."

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