A CHESHIRE hospital surgeon is to set up a charity to help victims of the Pakistan earthquake after seeing the horrifying devastation for himself during a two-week mercy mission to the region.
Usman Khan, aged 46, a consultant in general surgery, spent two weeks before Christmas in the area around Muzaffarabad in Kashmir, helping to treat some of the countless casualties.
Dr Khan, who was born in Pakistan and now lives in Macclesfield, said: "You see pictures of the earthquake zone on television, but nothing can prepare you for witnessing the devastation first-hand. It was shocking and almost beyond belief. Entire families and even an entire generation of children have been lost and rubble from destroyed buildings is piled across the region.
"Since my return to Britain I have been trying to write down my memories from the journey, but tears roll down my face when I think about what I witnessed. It was horrendous to see and it is something I will never forget."
Dr Khan travelled to the Kashmiri capital with a consignment of medical supplies and money to donate to survivors. But after just one night in a refugee camp, he was told his skills were desperately needed elsewhere. He said: "A man had walked for four-and-a-half days from a village in the Neelam Valley 50 kilometres away, saying nobody had reached them in the three weeks since the disaster.
"Because this village was 8,000ft up, big helicopters couldn't fly there, so a colleague and I went in a smaller chopper. Even then, the helicopter stalled on the way and I thought we were done for. It was a scary moment!"
Despite their heart-stopping journey they arrived safely and got to work treating the injured villagers, dealing with more than 370 people in just five days, many of whom had climbed from nearby villages to see them. He said: "The majority of people had broken bones and fractures from the earthquake, while others were suffering from conditions including pneumonia, dysentery and infected wounds because of the situation afterwards.
"We also saw two women who had given birth on the day of the earthquake but were still losing blood, so quite a few people had to be evacuated to hospital."
Since his return to Britain, Dr Khan has already arranged for two truck-loads of food to be delivered to Muzaffarabad and he plans to set up a charity to help collect funds for supplies.
Orthopedic surgeons from across Greater Manchester will also be visiting the region to treat the victims of the disaster.
Dr Khan is also planning a return trip to Muzaffarabad and is urging people from Macclesfield and beyond to continue donating to the earthquake appeals.He said: "The district hospital in Muzaffarabad treated 16,000 people in the first 19 days after the earthquake, while there is also a Turkish hospital, an American hospital and a Belgian hospital and other medical teams from Cuba, Russia and Japan. They must have seen thousands of people as well.
"While so much has been done, so much more is needed because this is a major disaster with problems that cannot be solved in just a few months."