The tragic death of a British bomb disposal expert, killed while clearing landmines in Ukraine, has sparked an “emotional” response from local communities, according to his friend and colleague. Christopher Garrett, originally from the Isle of Man, lost his life following an explosion in the eastern European nation where he co-founded the charity Prevail, which offers bomb disposal, trauma care and humanitarian aid.
A fundraising campaign set up to support the family of the 40-year-old, who leaves behind a one-year-old daughter, has already raised over -£7,500 within just a day of its launch.
Shaun Pinner, spokesman and ambassador for Prevail, spoke to the PA news agency about his late colleague: “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 described his colleague’s work as “probably the most dangerous job in the most dangerous place in the world”.
An investigation is currently underway into the explosion near Izyum on Tuesday, which also claimed the life of one of Mr Garrett’s colleagues, an Australian national, and injured another man.
Despite the tragedy, Mr Pinner confirmed that the work of Prevail, where Mr Garrett served as chairman, would continue.
“We will continue his legacy,” he declared.
“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.”
In honour of Mr Garrett, affectionately dubbed Swampy, a GoFundMe page has been set up to manage repatriation and funeral expenses, with surplus funds slated to support his partner, Courtney Pollock, who co-founded the charity with him, and their daughter.
An emotional tribute on the fundraising page reads: “We will miss him acutely. His legacy and his hard work will forever Prevail.”
Mr Garrett’s profile on the Prevail website details his voluntary service in Myanmar for humanitarian causes and his extensive involvement in Ukraine since 2014, providing mine risk education, clearance training, and assistance to military, police, and emergency services.
A representative from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) commented: “We are supporting the family of a British man who died in Ukraine and are in contact with the local authorities.”