SEVEN lives have been saved after a horrific bus crash in Tjikistan - thanks to a generator installed by a volunteer Hounslow engineer and two colleagues.

The £50,000 generator, which was donated by Brentford based pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline, was installed by New Zealand born Peter McBride, who has moved to Stirling Grove Hounslow and two colleagues at a remote hospital in the town of Pyanj, in a deal arranged by international health charity Project HOPE UK. The installation took place in October - just before the onset of Tajikistan's harsh winter.

The bus crash, in which ten people died, took place just two months later - and doctors were able to perform emergency life-saving surgery on seven survivors immediately as a result of power supplied by the generator.

The generator came from a Brentford building which Glaxo no longer uses. Glaxo also agreed to pay the fares for Peter and colleagues Mike Shepherd and Jim Schmidt.

The three stayed on to train local engineers in the operation and maintenance of the generator, which was used to provide power for a surgical team in the early hours of the morning four days later, after a car crash survivor was rushed to the hospital.

"We have an easy life in this part of the world, and sometimes you have to give something back," said Peter.

Project HOPE UK Director, Sarah Nancollas, said: "We are immensely proud of them - this was not an easy project, and they had to overcome some significant difficulties.

"The generator will significantly increase the value of the hospital, hopefully for many years, and those who contributed to this should feel a sense of considerable achievement."