Gurkhas marched in London today to remember those who have sacrificed their lives for Britain over the last 200 years.

Two hundred soldiers marched from Wellington Barracks past Buckingham Palace and along the Mall before arriving at the Gurkha memorial statue in Whitehall.

It was a particularly poignant event as the death toll continues to rise in their homeland Nepal following the devastating earthquake.

Members of the Nepalese and Gurkha community in the UK have spoken of their sense of helplessness at watching heart-wrenching images on television following the disaster, which has claimed more than 5,000 lives.

More than 11,000 ex-Gurkhas have settled in the UK, while a team of Gurkha engineers has flown out to Nepal on an RAF flight to join the aid efforts.

Captain Gary Ghale, 60, formerly of the 6th Queen Elizabeth's Own Gurkha Rifles, said communication with people in villages such as his native Gorkha was proving very difficult.

"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," he said.

The 3,000-strong Brigade of Gurkhas is part of the British Army made up of Nepalese soldiers.

It draws its heritage from Gurkha units that originally served in the British Indian Army prior to Indian independence.

During the march, the brigade carried the Queen's Truncheon, a bronze and silver ceremonial staff awarded to the 2nd Gurkhas by Queen Victoria in recognition of its loyalty during the Indian Mutiny of 1857.

Wreaths were laid at a memorial service at the Gurkha statue, with new plaques honouring those who have taken part in recent operations - the first since the statue was unveiled in 1997.