Several Bahraini citizens are refusing to leave Nepal despite surviving the country's worst earthquake in decades, according to diplomats.

More than 50 Bahrainis are believed to be in Nepal, which has been devastated by Saturday's (April 25) magnitude 7.8 earthquake, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The death toll reached more than 2,500 yesterday and continued to rise, as officials struggled to gauge the full scale of the disaster.

Dozens of aftershocks have also been reported, the strongest of them registering 6.7 on the Richter scale yesterday, but a diplomat said most Bahrainis who had been contacted in Nepal were choosing to remain there.

“There have been no reports of Bahrainis being injured or worse - there are over 50 in the country at the moment,” the official told the GDN yesterday.

“At the moment we have been speaking with airlines and other officials to make sure that we can get them on planes back.

“Three of them will be on a flight back to Bahrain today, but not all of them want to leave. There are some staying in unaffected, safe areas who want to stay.

“The embassy is now completing a report and contacting all of them to check how they are and what they want to do.”

The quake wrecked houses, flattened centuries-old temples and triggered avalanches on Mount Everest.

It was felt in three neighbouring countries and the Foreign Ministry is asking Bahrainis to contact the Bahrain Embassy in India for help.

However, no Bahrainis have been reported missing, injured or dead.

Nepal's only international airport, Tribhuvan International Airport, was shut down following the first quake on Saturday, but reopened yesterday.

National carrier Gulf Air does not fly to Nepal, meaning many from Bahrain travel there with Qatar Airways with a connection in Doha.

“Qatar Airways' flights to Kathmandu airport in Nepal have resumed normal operation,” the airline told the GDN in a statement yesterday.

“Passengers holding confirmed bookings on flights which were cancelled on April 25 are being provided with alternative travel options.

“Larger aircraft are being deployed on the Doha-Kathmandu route to accommodate the backlog of passengers.”

Meanwhile, Bahrain's Foreign Ministry has advised Bahrainis in Nepal to follow safety instructions issued by local authorities there. - TradeArabia News Service