LOCAL firefighters have saved the lives of two people trapped beneath the rubble in Haiti.

A 60-year-old man and a 40-year-old woman were rescued by a team of Lancashire firefighters on Saturday after three-and-a-half days trapped beneath rubble in the devestated capital Port au Prince.

Eight men from stations across the North West, including Chorley tunneled for several hours before eventually finding the pair.  Both are said to be recovering well.

The Lancashire team arrived on Friday and are part of the United Kingdom International Search and Rescue team along with six other units from across the country.

John McKie, of Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service, who is leading the team in Haiti, said: “A 40-year-old woman was rescued from a building close to the supermarket. She was suffering from dehydration and had pressure sores. The teams worked for three to four hours on the extrication.

“A 60-year-old man has also been rescued who was in bed at the time of earthquake.

“Once located it took the team six to seven hours of tunnelling to reach him.

“He recovered well and only had minor injuries.

“We now have access to four US helicopters for reconnaissance.”

The earthqauke struck the Carribean island on Tuesday and is Haiti's worst quake in two centuries hitting south of the capital Port-au-Prince, wrecking the presidential palace, UN HQ and other buildings including hospitals..

It was quickly followed by two strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5 in magnitude.

The team from Lancashire is Andy Hayes, John McKie, Mark Southworth, Graham Mossop, Stuart Hardacre, Mark Monkhouse, Stuart Howarth and Andy Barnes.

By David Simpson