Sadhguru returns to Nepal, Isha sees no survivors

Sadhguru has returned to Nepal from Tibet and is currently in Kathmandu after staying behind to assist in the aftermath of deadly flash floods near the Bhote Koshi River.

The Isha Foundation said Chinese authorities resumed search and rescue operations at Gyirong Port around noon on August 28. The operations had been temporarily paused because of secondary flood risks. The foundation said its ground teams, positioned at the closest permitted locations on both sides of the border in Nepal and Tibet, had corroborated visual evidence of the destruction at the site.

The organisation said the findings so far offered no encouraging indication of survivors at the immigration office area. At this time, there seem to be no encouraging indications of survivors at the immigration office area. The immigration office complex has been completely washed away. We have been able to verify the extent of the destruction through multiple publicly available sources, as well as information being received from people on the ground, Isha said in a statement on Saturday.

Teams Deployed in Kathmandu

A team has also been set up in Kathmandu to gather information and pass it on to families. Another team is stationed close to Gyirong on the Tibet side to collect information as it emerges. We have made a team; we have created a team so that they can get all the whatever the information that comes and pass it on to us. They are stationed right now very close to Gyirong, where this happened, said Maa Gambhiri, an Isha Foundation coordinator.

The 77 Isha pilgrims, who were returning from the Mansarovar Yatra, were at the immigration centre in Tibet’s Gyirong when it was washed away in Wednesday’s devastating flood. The biggest challenge, she said, was not being able to reach the site and establish what had happened to the participants caught in the disaster. The group extended its stay in Tibet while seeking official permissions to reach Gyirong, where the August 26 flash floods struck.

Search operations are underway in an area where the ground is unstable and the water flow remains high. The difficulty of reaching the actual site of the disaster means that the organisation is relying on a combination of photographs, videos, and ground visuals to understand the situation. This distance from the event creates a unique kind of uncertainty for families waiting for news, as the physical reality of the destruction remains just beyond the reach of on-the-ground investigators.

The Isha Foundation has mobilised volunteers in several countries to support families waiting for information. Volunteers have been reaching out to families, including visiting them personally, while helplines have been set up in the countries from which participants travelled. Our hotlines have been ringing constantly and we have a very large number of volunteers handling these calls, providing all the necessary support, Gambhiri said.

Gambhiri said the group could not get the required clearance because Chinese military and rescue teams had restricted access to the area while search operations were underway. There was considerable pressure from the Indian government for Sadhguru to travel by air, but he has a different plan. In fact, he wants to visit the site where the incident occurred so that he can provide all possible assistance. Sadhguru wanted to travel by road, Gambhiri, coordinator of Isha Sacred Walks, told news agency ANI.

She added that the organisation had not received any specific or official information about the participants caught in the disaster. Unfortunately, we do not have any specific news, she said, adding that the organisation was monitoring photographs, videos, and reports from Chinese media about the rescue operation. It’s not an easy time for any family, for the friends and the family. It’s a very harrowing time for them, Gambhiri said.