THREE Nepalese from the town died as a result of the earthquake which hit Nepal a fortnight ago.

Candles were lit at St John’s Church in Whitbourne Avenue over the weekend by Kashi Rai and his family and friends as a mark of remembrance.

Kashi Rai, a former Gurkha of Swindon, said at least three of the four victims were Nepali citizens from the town who had indefinite leave to live in the UK.

His brother and his sister-in-law were among those who had died, he told the BBC.

More than 7,000 people died in the 7.8-magnitude quake on April 25. Officials have ruled out finding more survivors.

It comes as the government announced a new £5.3m contribution to the United Nations emergency appeal to provide additional help to people hit by the disaster.

Prayers were said for the four victims at St John’s Church, in Swindon, and a candle was lit in remembrance.

Mr Rai said his brother, Ratna, who was also a former Gurkha, and his wife, Mina, had gone to Nepal two weeks ago to visit relatives.

They were killed when a church in Kathmandu, the country’s capital, collapsed after the earthquake struck, he said.

Also killed was Elia Ghale, another former Gurkha, also originally from Nepal. He had left Swindon a year ago to set up a church in Nepal, Mr Rai said.

Mr Ghale’s son, who had gone back to Nepal with his father, also died, he added.

The pair were killed when a different church collapsed following the earthquake.

Eight Britons stranded in a monastery in Nepal were rescued on Saturday – a week after the devastating earthquake.

They were airlifted from a religious retreat in a remote mountainside area by a UK team of experts using a chartered helicopter.

An RAF C-17 aircraft, which had taken aid to Nepal, separately flew another seven Britons out of the country.

A British mountaineer caught up in the earthquake in Nepal has also returned to the UK. Gareth Doulas, 37, from Bridgnorth in Shropshire, had been preparing to climb Mt Everest when the earthquake struck a week ago. He flew into Heathrow on Saturday.

A UK Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) public appeal for donations has so far raised more than £33m - including £5m from the government to match the first public donations.

The UK government has now committed £22.8m in humanitarian aid – including the £5m appeal donation – making it the largest international donor so far.

The Foreign Office has confirmed that a British dual national, Hemchandra Rai, was also killed in the disaster.

Donations to the DEC appeal can be made at www.dec.org.uk