WITH a reputation for courage and discipline forged on the battlefield for more than 200 years, the Gurkhas have long been an integral part of the UK military. But now many of those serving with the British Army at Catterick Garrison are watching their families back in Nepal face a new battle.

Nepal's prime minister announced yesterday that the death toll from Saturday's earthquake could reach 10,000, but the rescue mission to repair such a large area, ranging from densely-packed cities to spread out rural and mountainous communities, will be a long and arduous task.

Sushma Sunuwar, who works here as an interpreter, is desperately awaiting news from her family in the Ramechap district of Nepal. With communications down, Sushma, who lives in Hipswell with her family, has not heard from her relatives since they were allowed a two minute phone call to let people know they were still alive and living in tents in a field.

Although her family’s home was newly-built and relatively sturdy, the initial tremors from the 7.8 magnitude quake still cracked the walls. Many buildings, fatally undermined, were then brought down by the aftershocks. Other buildings still standing are unsafe and villagers are living in a nearby field in tents. Although Sushma is glad they were unhurt, she is still worried about how they are coping.

Communication with Sushma's family is almost impossible, as mobile phone masts and landlines are down.

“People have been saying they can see people shouting for help and they’re helpless to do anything. People walk around and see victims trapped under concrete or blocks, but they can’t lift or break it and can see them dying. That’s horrendous.”

Britain is sending a team of Gurkha engineers to Nepal to join humanitarian volunteers and emergency service crews in helping the relief effort. Sushma says the scale of help needed is vast and people’s lives will be affected for many years to come, especially in the many rural or mountainous areas where communities have to be self-sufficient.

“It’s a very, very critical situation. I don’t know how they will cope, even the hospital has cracked and had to be evacuated. There’s a lot of army out there and there’s more medical teams going out to treat them, but how long will they be there? They might be there six months or six weeks.

“There will be a lot of people with broken hands, or arms or who will be disabled. That will be very hard. The people who live in villages mainly have to work physically, so their daily lives will be hard. There’s also the mental trauma. This is going to take a long time.

“We will try and do what we can. We’re all trying our best but sometimes it’s really difficult when family is affected. We’re trying to help them individually with physical and mental support and fund raising in the community.”

Yem Bahadur Gurung, from Catterick Garrison, comes from just outside the city of Pokhara. Temperatures plummet at night-time in the mountainous region and it is also the rainy season in Nepal.

He fears getting aid to the area will prove difficult: "It’s going to be difficult to land helicopters. The nights and mornings are very, very cold, the people who have lost houses are going to need blankets and tents."

Yem speaks for millions of concerned individuals around the world when he says: “This situation is no good, it’s a dreadful disaster.”

People in the UK are already responding to cries for help. The Disasters Emergency Committee has banked thousands of donations to help Nepal get back on its feet.

In truth, it's the least we can do. The Gurkhas have helped save countless British lives fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with our soldiers. Now the tables are turned, it is our duty to stand alongside them as the rescue mission gets underway.

To donate to the Disasters Emergency Commission’s earthquake appeal visit the website; www.dec.org.uk or phone: 0370 60 60 900.