Earthquake rescue - I'm haunted by the girl we couldn't save

It felt like the beginning of Mission Impossible 2. I was rock climbing with my oldest son when my phone rang. It was my team leader, telling me there had been a serious earthquake in Pakistan. I confirmed I was available to assist in the search and rescue of survivors.

It was October 2005. We arrived in Pakistan next morning and spent the rest of the day travelling 121km by road to Muzaffarabad, a town in the north of the country close to the epicentre of the quake. Our first job was to search a local boarding school. Most of the children were asleep in their dormitories when the quake struck and seeing all those small shapes, covered in white sheets laid out in rows, will stay with me forever. We started searching what was left of the buildings for survivors, but it became clear that those who survived were already out. We finished clearing the buildings without finding anyone.

On the way back we stopped in traffic behind an aid distribution lorry, surrounded by people trying to pull off the food, water and clothing on board. We watched the chaos unfold until our driver decided it was not safe to stay in the area.

As we turned down a side street, we came across another group of locals sitting at the side of the road, who told us that no rescue teams had been in the area since the quake hit. The locals told us voices had been heard from collapsed houses. Taking the GPS coordinates of the street we headed back to base and notified the UN coordination centre. We returned just as darkness started to fall and found teams from Korea, Germany and the UK fire service ready to help us.

After about an hour we heard noises from one of the buildings. As three members of the team headed back to the truck to get more equipment, the others started looking for a way in. Carefully moving some of the rubble, we started to tunnel into the building and came across an old man with a shock of bright orange hair and beard. He seemed fine but was unable to see. Slowly the team freed him and carried him out of the building to a stretcher, then back to the assembly point, where the man regained his sight after being trapped for days in total darkness.

The search continued for two more hours until shots were heard – a householder defending what was left of their possessions. The order came from the UN that it was too dangerous to stay.

At first light the team were up and ready to go again. We met a search dog team from Japan and it quickly became apparent in daylight just how big the whole area was. It would take a long time to search.

Talking to a local family, we were told of a building nearby where a young girl could be trapped. Her mother and sister had run out of the house as the earthquake hit but the youngest daughter, Ama, was trapped in the building.

We headed to the building and two rescue dogs ran over the area, confirming signs of life. The girl was still alive. The building was too unstable to dig into straight away, so we spent several hours shoring it up, working into the night until a large aftershock shook the area, causing further collapse and destabilising the building completely. The team leader made the heartbreaking decision to pull back until daylight, when the situation could be reassessed.

The team leader and deputy returned the next day with a Polish heavy rescue team. This time the dogs did not find any sign of life. There was nothing more our team could have done to save Ama.

Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters (SARAID) is a British charity specialising in urban search and rescue with a team of dedicated, highly trained volunteers on standby 24/7, every day of the year. We stayed in Pakistan until the decision was made to end the search and rescue phase of the relief operation and move into the humanitarian aid stage. The space occupied in the base camp by the rescue teams was needed for humanitarian aid teams and their supplies.

As we left, the UN told us that a total of eight people were rescued from the market area we had discovered. In total, 25 people were rescued from the town.

My experiences in Pakistan were a rollercoaster of emotions: from the heartbreak of searching the school and unsuccessful rescue of Ama, to the highs of rescuing the old man and knowing that our perseverance led to the survival of eight people. Most moving of all, though, was the quiet dignity and generosity of the Pakistani people.

• Kris Hurley is a team leader for Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters

The day I made a difference is the Guardian Voluntary Sector Network’s series that showcases the work of people involved with charities. If you have a story to share about a landmark moment in your life, email voluntarysectornetwork@theguardian.com with a short summary of your experience.

Talk to us on Twitter via @Gdnvoluntary and join our community for your free Guardian Voluntary Sector monthly newsletter, with analysis and opinion sent direct to you on the first Thursday of the month.