A COACH crash which left more than 30 people trapped with five dead was the first major incident Romanian fire fighters tackled -- using life-saving cutting gear donated by Bolton.

The team of Romanian rescuers were forced to put their new skills and equipment to the test in the horrific incident last month.

Just 48 hours after they had been shown how to use the hydraulic rescue and cutting gear by Bolton fireman Graham Smith, the newly-formed Barlad Fire Service leapt into action.

Firefighter Costel Florea, who recently visited Bolton in his quest to find modern fire fighting equipment for his Romanian village, said: "Imagine my feelings when we arrived at our very first incident and more than 30 people were trapped in the coach and three people in the lorry seriously injured.

"Three people were dead on the scene and it took us more than four hours to release everyone.

"The police and passengers on the coach were very encouraged when our team arrived with such modern and wonderfully efficient rescue equipment."

The Bolton team spent nine days training the Barlad fire fighters to use the breathing apparatus and fire tunics and leggings donated by the Greater Manchester Fire Service.

Graham Smith, who won an MBE for his long-standing charity work for Romania, was impressed with the way the local band of men had built their own fire station.

Graham, who is working closely with Fire Aid International, said: "I found the training and work commitment from Costel and his men to be very impressive. With the right equipment and support, I am confident Costel can achieve his aims.

"The last information that I had on the coach crash was that at least five people were killed and many of the coach passengers in hospital, but it is possible that the death toll could have been higher without the modern rescue equipment.

"Obviously, this was rather a daunting initiation for Costel's team but I know he shares with me the feeling that his dream is slowly coming true."