A HEARTBROKEN Nepali man who now lives in Redditch has released photographs of his devastated home in the hope it might inspire people to help him raise funds to rebuild his village.

These pictures are the first Gumbo Tamang had been able to secure of his home village and a neighbouring village destroyed by the recent earthquake which has already claimed more than 5,000 lives.

The pictures show the damage to buildings and also the makeshift camps as people try to cope with the aftermath.

They are among the first pictures of this remote village as Mr Tamang says the Government or the media have yet to reach the area which has no electricity.

Mr Tamang said: "At the moment they have food coming in from what they have left and what they managed to rescue from the house. They're putting their lives in danger to get some food from the house. They could be injured or killed. It's hard. I hope they have enough food until the road is fixed.

"When I saw the photographs of my village it was even more heartbreaking."

Gumbo Tamang of Grangers Lane, is calling for financial help to rebuild his home village of Thulo Bharku in the Langtang National Park in Rasuwa district to the north west of Kathmandu, near the Tibetan border.

So far he has already managed to raise almost £4,000.

Mr Tamang said of the photographs: "This is my village people's and village houses. I have the most damaged one."

The village is just one of many destroyed by the earthquake and cut off to vehicles, blocked by landslides with the country's prime minister predicting the death toll could reach 10,000.

The village of about150 homes is a one and a half hour walk from the nearest town which has also been destroyed by the 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

Mr Tamang, a 29-year-old father of one, who works as a catering assistant at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch was born and brought up in the village and his parents, dad Karpude and mum Rittu, still live there with his sister-in-law and her two children.

His brother and sister were both in Kathmandu at the time but are both safe.

Hi sister-in-law had to flee the house with her children, a boy aged 11 and a girl aged just 14 months, as it collapsed around them.

Mr Tamang said of the disaster: "I feel relief and emotional and happy. I have been crying quite a few times. It's hard. My heart is broken. I feel helpless."

He said: "It is currently too unsafe to search the ruins so all families, currently have nothing, except each other.

"My family, alongside fellow villagers are having to sleep on the road or in the fields as strong aftershocks continue to rock the area, they have no food at present and children are very scared and as we are now nearing the start of the monsoon season, there are often heavy downpours."

To support Mr Tamang visit www.gofundme.com/Thulo_bharku