Briton thought to be quake casualty
The Foreign Office is investigating claims a British national was killed by the Nepalese earthquake, Philip Hammond has said.
The as-yet unconfirmed report related to a Briton not living in this country, the Foreign Secretary said.
The news came after the death toll from Saturday's catastrophic earthquake reportedly passed 5,000, with the the country's prime minister telling Reuters it could even hit 10,000.
Rescue work in Kathmandu following the earthquake which left thousands dead in Nepal (International Federation of Red Cross/PA)
Speaking in London, Mr Hammond said: "We are urgently investigating unconfirmed reports of a non-UK resident British national having been killed and our teams on the ground will report back as soon as they have any further information on that."
Mr Hammond said: "I've spoken to the Nepalese Prime Minister this morning to assure him of our commitment to see what other assistance Nepal urgently needs."
The Foreign Secretary said a British Army C-17 carrying Gurkha engineers and equipment, and a Department for International Development charter flight with further supplies, were en route to the capital, Kathmandu, and "will be in and operating as soon as possible".
He added: "In the meantime, we have already got some UK personnel in on other flights and there are 60 British personnel, search and rescue teams and other experts already on the ground delivering assistance."
He said he will chair a meeting of Cobra tomorrow.
The latest news came as efforts continued to provide food, water and other aid for the eight million people in 39 districts in the Himalayan nation the UN say have been affected by Saturday's 7.8 magnitude quake.
A medical student from a British university was among those killed in avalanches on Everest.
The University of Leicester confirmed that American Dr Marisa Eve Girawong had been part-way through studies on its postgraduate mountain medicine course when she died at the peak's Base Camp in ice-falls triggered by the earthquake.
Dr Girawong, known as Eve, had been with the Seattle-based Madison Mountaineering team when disaster struck.
Dr Peter Barry, from the university's infection, immunity and inflammation department, said: "She was delightful to know - a beautiful, intelligent, outgoing person who effortlessly got on with everyone.
"She had plans to continue her work in the mountains and was excited about the adventures ahead of her. This is a real loss to our community."
Entire villages have been wiped out and more than 1.4 million people are in need of food and water, according to the latest reports from Nepal.
British and Irish medical staff, experts and volunteers have been dispatched to the worst-affected areas, with the RAF, firefighters from the UK International Search and Rescue Team and medics from the Doctors Of The World charity among those involved.
Meanwhile the agonising wait for news of loved ones goes on for the families of British and Irish people still missing after what was the worst earthquake to hit the country for more than 80 years.
Members of the Nepalese and Gurkha community in the UK have spoken of their sense of helplessness at watching the "heart-wrenching" images on television.
More than 11,000 ex-Gurkhas have settled in the UK, many around the Army town of Aldershot in Hampshire, and the entire community is focused on contacting relatives back home and providing what support they can.
Captain Gary Ghale, 60, formerly of the 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles, said communication with people in the villages like his native Gorkha was proving very difficult.
He said: "The last big quake was about 80 years ago and people are always talking about when the next big quake will hit and it has happened now and everyone is devastated.
"To see all these heart-wrenching pictures, I am just praying, just praying for the safety of the people of Nepal and that help reaches people in time and there is proper sanitisation because the aftermath can kill more people than the earthquake itself."
Another former Gurkha living in Aldershot, Phadak Gurung, said he had just found out that his mother was safe.
The 52-year-old, also from Gorkha, said: "My family they are fine. I couldn't get in contact with my mother but I have heard that she is okay and that is a great sense of relief."
The UK has already pledged a £5 million package of support, including £3 million released under the Rapid Response Facility (RRF) to address immediate needs on the ground and £2 million to the British Red Cross.
Disaster experts believe the earthquake will leave Nepal dependent on aid from countries such as the UK for years, and that recovery from the devastation could take a decade.
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) will make a televised appeal for public donations today, launched across all the major broadcasters and fronted by Absolutely Fabulous star and Gurkha campaigner Joanna Lumley. The appeal is due to be broadcast on BBC One at 5:55pm and 10:50pm, BBC Two at 8pm and ITV at 6:51pm.
:: Anyone who is caught up in the incident or worried about a family member should call the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on +44 (0) 20 7008 0000. To donate, call 0370 60 60 900 or visit the website dec.org.uk.
Aid for Nepal being loaded onto a C17 aircraft at RAF Brize Norton prior to its take off for Kathmandu
