Nepal Flash Flood: In the wake of the catastrophic flash floods along the Nepal-Tibet border, all telecommunication services have been halted and road traffic has been disrupted, complicating relief and search efforts. There is still no news regarding the 80 Isha Foundation volunteers. Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev has shared his deep concern, noting that the extent of the destruction in the affected region seems to be incredibly severe, and no official updates have been provided so far. The Isha Foundation group comprises devotees from 19 different countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, Germany, and India. In the meantime, Sadhguru has sought permission from the authorities to travel to Gyirong to support the families of those who are missing.
Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev stated, “With profound sorrow and pain, I wish to highlight that a significant flash flood has struck the border between Tibet and Nepal. As per reports from Indian media, around 484 individuals are unaccounted for on the Nepal side. However, we lack any official information regarding this situation.”
“One of our groups, the S-3 group, which we encountered at Saga and again during their descent, consisted of 22 individuals from the US, 12 from Canada, 11 from Australia, 9 from the UK, 4 from Germany, 3 from France, 3 from Nepal, 2 from the Netherlands, 2 from New Zealand, 2 from Singapore, 2 from Spain, and one each from Finland, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, the Philippines, Portugal, Russia, and South Africa.”
The total number of casualties stands at 80, which includes 34 men and 46 women. Additionally, there were some other volunteers staying in nearby hotels, including three volunteers and a doctor. However, we have yet to receive any official confirmation. The magnitude of the devastation appears to be quite alarming.
In his message released on August 27, Sadhguru stated that 80 members of his group had lost contact in the floods in Gyirong and that no information about them had been available since the floods. He wrote, “We are writing this letter in anguish at not having any information about the 80 members of our group. We and their families humbly request you to please allow me and some volunteers to go to Gyirong.” Sadhguru stated that his intention was not to interfere with rescue operations, but to stand with the affected families and assist in efforts to find any trace of his people. He stated that he was currently in Saga and sought permission to go to Gyirong.
Contact lost after reaching the immigration center
Isha Sacred Walks coordinator Ma Gambhiri said the missing group included people from 19 countries around the world. She said, “More than 50 of the group were women, and the rest were men. It included people from the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, the UK, and Asian countries. There were 53 people of Indian origin in the group.” According to Ma Gambhiri, the group had completed the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and was returning to Kathmandu. According to the foundation, 77 pilgrims had completed the Tibetan immigration process and arrived at an immigration center before beginning their return journey. “This particular group had completed its journey and was returning to Kathmandu on Wednesday morning. The 77 pilgrims had reached the immigration center. The group leader’s name was Praveen,” Ma Gambhiri said. She added that the Isha team spoke with the group leader around 9:05 a.m. “A member of our team spoke with him at 9:05 a.m.” “But when we tried to contact him again about 10 minutes later, we couldn’t reach anyone. It appears the incident occurred during those few minutes.”