Kathmandu [Nepal], August 26 (ANI): Several pilgrims and volunteers of the Isha Foundation's Sacred Walks, who had completed the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and were returning to Kathmandu, remain uncontactable amid the catastrophic flash floods in Nepal, with the foundation saying it is awaiting information from authorities.
Speaking to ANI, Maa Gambhiri, coordinator at Isha Sacred Walks, said the foundation has been unable to establish contact with the group after the floods disrupted communication networks.
"We haven't been able to establish contact yet because there was a massive flood. All communication lines are down, and we cannot reach anyone on the ground. We are just waiting to hear back from the authorities with some information... hoping to find out something by tomorrow morning," Gambhiri said.
She said the group comprised 77 pilgrims who had reached an immigration centre after completing their pilgrimage and clearing Tibetan immigration before beginning their return journey to Kathmandu.
"We have 21 groups travelling to Kailash Mansarovar this year. Many have already successfully completed their pilgrimage, while others are currently en route, and some are just about to start," Gambhiri said.
"This specific group had already finished their journey and was heading back to Kathmandu this morning after clearing Tibetan immigration. There were 77 pilgrims who had reached the immigration centre. The group leader was named Praveen," she said.
Gambhiri said a member of the Isha team had spoken to the group leader at around 9:05 am, but contact was lost minutes later.
"One of our team members spoke to him at 9:05 am. However, when we tried to contact him again ten minutes later, we couldn't get through to him or anyone else. It seems the incident occurred within those ten minutes," she said.
"We had no prior information or inkling that anything was amiss; everything seemed completely normal during our conversation, and this happened quite suddenly... There was no warning, no indication; nothing was communicated. This accident happened suddenly," Gambhiri added.
At least 95 people have been confirmed dead, and dozens remain missing after a catastrophic flash flood swept through Rasuwa and neighbouring districts on Wednesday, crippling communication channels and severely hampering search and rescue operations.
According to a statement released by the Office of the Prime Minister and reported by The Kathmandu Post, emergency teams have recovered 95 bodies from the affected zones across the region. Authorities noted that the formal identification process for the deceased is currently ongoing.
The disaster, one of the worst to hit Nepal since the 2015 earthquakes, has dealt a severe blow to security personnel deployed on the ground. A total of 85 security officers, comprising 44 from the Nepali Army, 28 from the Nepal Police, and 13 from the Armed Police Force, are currently unaccounted for.
Multi-agency search and rescue units have been deployed across all affected sectors to locate missing personnel and residents, The Kathmandu Post reported. The flood has also hit critical infrastructure and tourism across the region.
The Kathmandu Post, citing the PMO, confirmed that 60 workers connected to various hydropower projects in the area remain out of contact. Furthermore, 484 tourists, including 391 foreign nationals and 93 domestic travellers, are currently unreachable. (ANI)
"No warning, no indication ": Isha Foundation says 77 Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims unreachable amid Nepal flash floods
