A Keighley man helped German rescuers search for people trapped beneath the rubble of a collapsed ice rink.

Stefan Hopkins flew out with a colleague from rescue charity SARAID on Tuesday evening to assist at the scene of the tragedy in Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria.

The pair were due back in Britain early yesterday evening, the last of the 15 bodies having been recovered from the debris. Within about 15 hours of arriving at the disaster site they had helped pull two bodies, including that of a young child, from the flattened building.

Speaking to the Keighley News on Wednesday from the scene, Mr Hopkins -- a former pupil of Greenhead School -- said the rescue teams were having to contend with difficult conditions.

But he vowed that they would continue searching until everyone was found.

At the time he spoke to us, the death toll was at 13 and two people were still missing.

"It has been snowing non stop since we got here," said Mr Hopkins, the brother of Worth Valley councillor Kris Hopkins.

"When we arrived the building was unstable and rescuers were awaiting specialist heavy lifting equipment so that the search could continue in safe circumstances.

"The operation resumed and as I speak to you two more bodies have been recovered, including -- about one-and-a-half hours ago -- a young child. It is always upsetting in these situations whenever you find a body but it is especially difficult when the victim is a child.

"We have been working continuously since we got here and we will carry on -- removing every bit of snow and debris if we have to -- until everybody has been found. There is no time restriction."

Mr Hopkins and his colleague, Geoff Parkinson, were the only people from outside Germany who took part in the rescue operation alongside the country's own emergency workers. "Initially we were asked out here as observers, but since our arrival we have been asked to provide both verbal and practical assistance," said Mr Hopkins.

Several children were among those who died when the roof of the skating rink collapsed on Monday. Around 17 people were seriously injured in the incident.

The last person to be pulled alive from the rubble was a five-year-old girl, on Monday evening.

Gloucestershire-based SARAID -- Search and Rescue Assistance in Disasters -- was set up by Mr Hopkins over three years ago.

Its volunteers have helped at the scenes of numerous disasters across the world, most recently the Pakistan earthquake.