No Word Yet on 77 Isha Foundation Pilgrims Missing After Tibet Flash Flood

Two days after a devastating flash flood struck areas near the China-Nepal border, there is still no update on the whereabouts of a 77-member Isha Foundation pilgrimage group, the group's coordinator said on Friday.

The coordinator, Maa Gambhiri, said the group has remained out of contact since the disaster. Rescue teams are operating on the ground, but no information about the missing pilgrims has emerged so far.

"There are 77 families waiting desperately for the answers. It is an emotional turmoil for them," she said.

The group included participants from 19 nationalities. Gambhiri said they have reached out to every embassy in India, China, and Nepal, as well as various offices and ministries in India and Nepal, seeking support and information.

She also said that Sadhguru, the founder of the Isha Foundation, wanted to travel to Gyirong — the epicentre of the disaster — to help, but did not receive the necessary approval.

The pilgrims were at the immigration office in Gyirong when the flood struck, reportedly inundating the building and much of the town. Three volunteers were stuck in Timure, Nepal, according to a message posted by Sadhguru on his official Facebook page on Wednesday.

The missing pilgrims include 22 from the US, 12 from Canada, 11 from Australia, nine from the UK, four from Germany, three each from France and Nepal, and two each from the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore, and Spain. One person each is from Finland, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, the Philippines, Portugal, Russia, and South Africa.

The Isha Foundation organises multiple Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimages each season, with groups travelling from Kathmandu through Nepal to Tibet, including trekking on foot.

According to Nepal police, at least 579 people have been killed in the devastation, with nearly a thousand still missing.