Courage of bomb disposal expert injured in terror blast

Explosive ordnance disposal technician Fred Pavey talked down the fact that he had the most dangerous job in the world during an interview with The Sunday Times last August.

I’ve lost my right hand so it’s a slight inconvenience

But the 55-year-old bomb expert came face to face with the potentially lethal hazards of his occupation when he was seriously injured in a blast in Misurata last Wednesday.

He lost his right hand and sustained shrapnel wounds to his abdomen and leg plus facial burns during a mission. Another colleague was also injured in the explosion caused by a Chinese anti-tank mine.

The two were treated in Tripoli before being flown by air-ambulance to a hospital in the UK.

“We thought we had destroyed it properly. Evidently it didn’t work,” Mr Pavey told The Sunday Times yesterday, shortly before undergoing surgery.

Mr Pavey was in Malta last week with his Maltese wife before he set out on another mission to the besieged Libyan city.

But despite his serious injuries, the Briton put on a brave face and is not completely ruling out a return to the field once he completes his recovery.

“Potentially yes, I might return. I don’t see any reason why not. I’ve lost my right hand so it’s a slight inconvenience,” he said.

Considering the intensity of the blast, Mr Pavey said he considered himself lucky.

“The medical evacuation training we gave to everyone in the area saved our lives. To be honest, if we didn’t do that I would have returned in a box.”

He said the UN will now carry out an investigation into the cause of the explosion.

“Lessons are learnt, procedures are changed. Personally, I’m now interested in recovery and we’ll see how it goes and see what I’m capable of.”

Mr Pavey was engaged with Danish NGO Church Aid and was plying his trade in one of the world’s most dangerous spots – the Libyan city of Misurata – which came under intense shelling during the uprising. His team was also training the Libyans to take over the baton in line with international rules and replace the ad hoc teams of volunteers who until recently were going around picking up explosives.

During his interview last August, Mr Pavey, who served as an engineer for the British forces in Malta in the 1970s, admitted his job had become a drug.

“When I got into this I said this isn’t my comfort zone. You need the training and the mindset to do this kind of job. You need to focus on what you’re doing without any distractions and a good team to back you up... The more I experience it, the more I want to do it,” he had said.