Senior Inspector Dave Bennett who led the Police portion of the front line rescue said he and the crew of nine officers from November Troop were on duty at the time and sped to the wreck in two teams.

They found scores of people trapped or dazed in different sections of the wreck and had to wedge open doors and use holes in the fuselage to pull them to safety. Although confused about what had happened to the plane, SIP Bennett told OffBeat that at the time he could only think about getting trapped people out immediately as fuel and flames spread.

"The plane was already engulfed in flames when we arrived and we didn't even think that the thing was actually upside down. Our natural instincts just kicked in and we went to it.

Quick thinking: SIP Dave Bennett explains how he and his team forced open a buckled door to rescue the trapped pilots

"I was very concerned about getting all the people and getting all our guys out of there as fast as possible because there was a lot of fuel leaking out and there were flames running up the belly of the aircraft. I was worried the whole thing could blow up at anytime," he said.

SIP Bennett said the two teams ran down either side of the plane and plucked out passengers.

"We also saw the pilots trying to get out of the cockpit. The nearest plane door to them had been completely buckled in by the impact and was jammed, so we had to force it open and drag out the pilots who were very disorientated. Inside the cabin it was a mess with people lying on the ground and debris everywhere.

"The thing was upside down so people were still hanging in their seats and the floor boards had crashed down.

"Many passengers were completely disoriented and didn't know what was down or up and often we literally had to grab them and pull them out quite strongly. There were also a few elderly ladies who we had to pick up and carry on our backs.

"We do train for these contingencies but when you really come across these things they are different. The conditions were extremely difficult - we were in the middle of a typhoon so it was dark, windy with a lot of smoke and water.

"Officers could feel the intense heat of the flames and I got an electric shock from stepping on live wires. I got the full force of it which left me stunned for a bit. Another officer got shocked also.

"All this and we also had the threat of this plane blowing up. The rescue seemed like an eternity but really it was over in minutes."

However, there was still no relief once the plane had been evacuated. SIP Bennett's team received an urgent call to look for a young boy who was still missing. Without hesitation they dashed back into the flaming wreck, despite the threat of an explosion.

"A parent reported that their seven-year-old boy was still missing somewhere in the tail section which had sustained the most damage. We were worried he might be trapped somewhere in there, so we got the team together and dashed back in to sift through the wreck again. We went from the mid section right through to the tail but could not find him. We were later told he had already been taken away from the scene."

New Territories South Regional Commander Keith Braithwaite visited and personally thanked the officers for risking their lives to save others.

"In the highest traditions of the Force and with complete disregard for their own safety the officers entered the blazing and smoke-filled wreck of the aircraft, rescued a number of crew and passengers and led others to safety.

"In doing so they displayed considerable courage and bravery which will be examined further with a view to identifying those individuals worthy of higher recognition and commendation."

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