Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
There was no update on the whereabouts of 77 pilgrims travelling with the Isha Foundation, who have been missing for the last two days after a massive flash flood hit areas near the China-Nepal border, a coordinator of the group said on Friday.
The 77-member group, led by the Isha Foundation founded by Indian spiritual leader Jaggi Vasudev, also known as Sadhguru, has remained out of contact since the flood struck near Gyirong, the ground zero of the disaster.
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Maa Gambhiri, a coordinator with the group, told PTI that Sadhguru wanted to visit Gyirong to help, but did not get the necessary approval. She said the group had participants from 19 nationalities and that they had contacted every embassy in India, China and Nepal for support. They had also reached out to various offices and ministries in India and Nepal to seek information and help.
“There has been no update on the 77 missing Isha Foundation pilgrims for the last two days. The rescue teams are on the ground but there is still no information yet,” she said.
“There are 77 families waiting desperately for the answers. It is an emotional turmoil for them,” she added.
The Isha Foundation organises multiple Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimages every season. Groups travel from Kathmandu through Nepal to Tibet, with part of the pilgrimage involving trekking on foot.
In a message posted on his official Facebook page on Wednesday, Sadhguru said one of his Kailash pilgrimage groups was caught in the flash flood while returning to Nepal. He said the group was 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, he said.
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, two each from the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and Spain, and one each from Finland, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, the Philippines, Portugal, Russia and South Africa.
According to Nepal police, at least 579 people have been killed in the devastation, while nearly 1,000 are missing. As of Friday, there was still no word on the 77 missing pilgrims, even as rescue teams continued their work on the ground.
With PTI Inputs
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
