Nepal flood: Sadhguru was headed to the same Tibet centre where 80 Isha pilgrims went out of contact

Isha Foundation founder Sadhguru was due to reach the Tibet immigration centre just 24 hours after an Isha Foundation group was caught there in the flash flood that struck the Nepal-Tibet border, the spiritual guru said on Thursday.

The centre, where the group was waiting to complete immigration formalities before returning from the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, was washed away in the flood, Sadhguru said. He said 80 people associated with the foundation were at the site.

Sadhguru said he had planned to be at the same centre on Thursday morning but was unable to reach the area because roads were blocked and communications were down.

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Last Contact Before The Flood

In a video address, Sadhguru said the group had reached the immigration centre at 9:05 am on Wednesday. Nine minutes later, the flood struck.

"At 9:05 am, we received a message from the group leader, who is Aayishanga Pravin, who's been with us. At 9:05 am, he sent a message that they had arrived at the immigration. So after that, this happened at 9:14," he said.

The group included 22 people from the United States, 12 from Canada, 11 from Australia, nine from the United Kingdom, 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.

There were 34 men and 46 women in the group, along with some volunteers and a doctor staying at nearby hotels, Sadhguru said.

Maa Gambhiri of the Isha Foundation told India Today TV that the group leader had spoken to them about nine or 10 minutes before the tragedy and said they had just reached the immigration centre.

This group was returning to Kathmandu after completing the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra when the flood struck.

Maa Gambhiri spoke to India Today from a place called New Dongba in Tibet, which is just a day's drive from the border town Jilong, where this tragedy unfolded. The Tibet immigration centre is located in Jilong.

No Contact With Group

Sadhguru said all phones in the area were off, and telecommunications had stopped. Roads were also blocked, making it impossible for the foundation's teams to reach the location.

"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," he said.

The Isha founder said the foundation had informed the embassies of the countries represented in the group in India and Nepal. Efforts were also underway to seek permission through the Indian and Chinese embassies in India for him and a team to travel to the area.

"We're doing everything possible," Sadhguru said. "We are seeking permission through the Indian embassy and the Chinese embassy in India, and the American embassy is working on this to see if they can permit me and a group of people to be there and see what we can do."

Maa Gambhiri also said the group had passed through the same centre just seven days earlier while entering Tibet. Sadhguru and his group were scheduled to reach the centre on Thursday, just 24 hours after the tragedy.

She said, "We are closer to this town. And in fact, tomorrow morning, Sadhguru and our group was supposed to be at that place, just 24 hours later."

Hundreds Still Out Of Contact

The Nepal Tourism Board said 644 tourists remained out of contact following the Bhotekoshi floods in Nepal.

Sadhguru said the overall number of people who may be affected could be more than 1,500, including Nepali guides and their families, though there was no official confirmation. "We don't have any numbers as such, but the overall numbers could be anywhere around 1,500 plus," he said.

Sadhguru also said there was no official information about what triggered the disaster. Reports had mentioned a possible river or lake burst and an earthquake, but he said the information had not been confirmed.