A FORMER SAS officer who was decorated for the part he played in a hostage rescue has died.

Barry Davies, 71, died from a heart attack on Monday in Spain, where he lived with his wife, Mary.

His son and daughter, Lee and Sarah, who live in Herefordshire, said they are left heartbroken without him.

Mr Davies was awarded a British Empire Medal for his part in the storming of Lufthansa Flight 181 at Mogadishu Airport, which was hijacked in October 1977 by four members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

He published a book about the hostage rescue, Fire Magic: Hijack To Mogadishu, in 1994 and has since written a number of other non-fiction books about his time in the service.

He was in service with the SAS for 18 years and saw active duty in the Middle East, Africa and Northern Ireland.

Mr Davies joined survival and protective equipment specialists, BCB International Ltd, after he left the SAS.