Christopher Garrett, from the Isle of Man, was brutally killed in a nightmare explosion while clearing landmines in Ukraine this week. Tributes have poured in for the dad-of-one
A British bomb disposal expert who saved “countless lives” has tragically died in an explosion whilst he was clearing landmines in Ukraine.
Christopher Garrett, originally from the Isle of Man, was killed in the horror blast near the city of Izium on Tuesday. His colleague, from Australia, was also pronounced dead after the tragedy, with one other man left injured.
His close friends and colleagues described his role as one of “the most dangerous job[s] in the most dangerous place in the world”. Tributes have since poured in for Christopher, who leaves behind his one-year-old daughter.
The disaster sparked an “emotional” response from communities in Ukraine, according to his friend Shaun Pinner. Mr Pinner is also an ambassador for Prevail, a charity which provides bomb disposal, trauma care and humanitarian aid.
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The spokesperson said: “Chris was a talisman. He was driven by the injustices Russia are doing here. He brought mine awareness to children through to adults and had knowledge which will be deeply missed. The outpouring has been really emotional. Local communities have all reached out to us.
“He knew everyone in the military and police as well as all the civilian communities. The amount of lives he has saved, I can’t count them. He’s pulled out tons and tons of mines.”
Mr Pinner said the work of Prevail, of which Mr Garrett was chairman, would carry on. “We will continue his legacy,” he said. “We will continue to move forward. We’re going to have to restrict part of it because we’ve lost a very capable guy but the humanitarian side of it will keep going and we’ll look to regroup. The charity is called Prevail and the name says it all.”
A message on the site said: “We will miss him acutely. His legacy and his hard work will forever Prevail.” According to his profile on the Prevail website, Mr Garrett volunteered in Myanmar for humanitarian efforts and had been heavily involved in work in Ukraine since 2014, including providing mine risk education, clearance training and support to military, police and emergency services.
A spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) said: “We are supporting the family of a British man who died in Ukraine and are in contact with the local authorities.”