Earthquake boy Parth Joshi is in Sussex to say thank you to the firefighter who saved his life.

The visit follows his rescue from underneath the rubble of his home in India, which was near the epicentre of the Gujarat earthquake in January.

The story of how the brave ten-year-old was rescued from underneath his house after being buried alive for 13 hours received worldwide attention.

Sub officer Geoff Parkinson, a fire protection officer based at Preston Circus in Brighton, was part of a fast-response rescue team which helped free him and save his life.

Buried under his home in Bhuj, Parth could only move the tips of his fingers.

The last time Parth and sub officer Geoff Parkinson saw each other was when the limp body of the ten-year-old was put into an ambulance in the town earlier this year.

Geoff did not know whether the boy he had helped rescue from the rubble of the home would even live.

He said: "We knew he was breathing but at any moment we knew the rubble could collapse on top of him. There was hardly any part of his body that was not covered.

"When we saw him into the ambulance we did not know whether we would ever see him again.

"To see him now looking so happy and full of life makes life so worthwhile."

Yesterday Parth was enjoying the tourist attractions of Brighton and Hove with his father Pradeep after being flown to Britain to receive an artificial limb for his leg.

As he set eyes on Geoff for the first time since January 27, Parth said: "Thank you for giving me a new life."

More than 100,000 men, women and children lost their lives in India during the earthquake, despite the efforts of rescuers.

Casualties included Parth's mother and brother.