HE WANTS to repay the man who helped him when a massive earthquake struck.

John McKevitt was in the Nepalese capital Kathmandu after trekking around Mount Everest when the 7.8 magnitude quake brought down buildings and monuments across the city.

The Hampshire dad-of-two was thrown across his hotel room, injuring his leg.

But he managed to find his friend and guide Shailesh, who bandaged the wound and helped him and others survive the following hours despite losing his own home in the disaster.

Now he is back home in Hamble, John has launched a fundraising drive to help provide food, clean water and shelter for Shailesh and others hit by the natural disaster.

John had returned to the Royal Singi hotel in Kathmandu to collect batteries for his camera when he was thrown across the room by the force of the quake.

When he escaped from the nine-storey building he realised he had badly hurt his leg.

The 44-year-old director of Hamble Heating said: “It just picked you up and threw you. The building was spinning round and round then it buckled and the water and electricity cables came down.

“It happened so fast, we didn't have time to think about it because everything was crashing around you.

“The dogs were barking, people were screaming and the birds were flying off. It was a bit eerie.

“You could see ripples going down the road - the ground moved like water.”

Daily Echo:

John found Shailesh in the crowd and they made their way to safety in a field - afraid to be too close to buildings as aftershocks continued to rock the city.

Shailesh bandaged John's leg and helped other injured people before finding food and water for more than 100 others.

Now John has returned home he's determined to help Shailesh repair his city as much as he can.

Shailesh, an Everest tour guide, told the Daily Echo those around him had so far seen no aid from the government or the main charities.

He said the majority of people in his district of Kathmandu had lost their homes and they worried disease would start to spread because of the number of dead bodies still buried in the rubble around them.

The dad-of-five said: “We need a lot of help in the country. At the moment we need food and shelter. Any donations we get, I will make sure it goes to the right place. Nobody is going to come to the rescue.”

  • Donate to John's appeal by emailing helpnepal1@yahoo.com.