‘The entire group was there!’ – Spiritual leader Sadhguru fights tears as 80 pilgrims remain missing after Nepal-China flood

Sadhguru Fights Back Tears

Spiritual leader Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev fought back tears as he said an 80-member Isha Foundation Kailash pilgrimage group remained unaccounted for after devastating flash floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border region.

The international group included members from the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, among other countries. Sadhguru said there had been no official confirmation of their fate.

“We have no any kind of official confirmation of any kind. But looking at the scale of destruction, it looks bad. The same building where we were for the immigration just a week ago, that entire building is washed away. And part of the town is washed away. We still don’t know the other numbers. All communication is down, so we have no way,” Vasudev said on Wednesday evening.

“All phones are off, all telecommunications are down, roads are blocked. We are unable to go there,” he added.

He said the group’s leader, Praveen, sent a message at 9:05 saying they had reached the immigration building, just minutes before the disaster struck.

Pilgrims Remain Unaccounted For

“We noticed that his Nepal phone did not come active through the… If he had crossed over, his Nepal phone should have come active. It did not come. So literally the entire group was there in the building. So, this is a terrible and extraordinary event, which unfortunately has turned out this way,” he added.

Sadhguru said he has sought assistance and permission through the Indian and Chinese embassies to reach the group. After nearly 12 hours without contact, he said that their families had been informed.

Overcome with emotion, he was unable to finish his statement.

Flash Floods Devastate Border Region

The flash floods tore through the mountainous Tibet-Nepal border region on Wednesday morning, sending torrents of water, mud and debris racing downstream through Nepal’s Rasuwa, Nuwakot and other districts along the Trishuli river system. Scientists have suggested the cause could be a collapsed glacier on the border.

At least 165 people have been killed, while nearly 1,500 are missing across Nepal and China’s Xizang, including hundreds of foreign tourists and pilgrims.

Homes, markets, roads, bridges and hydropower infrastructure were swept away. Nepal deployed security forces, helicopters and medical teams as rescuers struggled to reach communities cut off by the destruction. Around 40 kilometres of roads and dozens of bridges have been damaged.

Early reports suggested an earthquake may have triggered a massive ice-rock avalanche. However, the US Geological Survey later said the seismic signal was generated by the collapse itself, rather than an earthquake. Preliminary satellite analysis points to a major glacier or ice-rock collapse as the likely trigger for the flood.