COIMBATORE: A group of 77 foreign nationals participating in the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra conducted by the Isha Foundation was caught in the massive flash floods in Nepal on Wednesday. Their current whereabouts are unknown following severe damage to the local immigration office.Swami Suyagna of the Isha Foundation told TOI that all 77 individuals stranded at the immigration centre were foreign nationals. He said foundation’s representatives were actively liaising with volunteers and rescue personnel in Nepal to track developments.The pilgrims were part of the annual ‘Isha Sacred Walks’ programme.Expressing deep anguish over the incident, Isha Foundation founder Sadhguru posted on X on Wednesday night that the group was on its return journey when the calamity struck.“A terrible and tragic flash flood has taken place at Gyirong in Tibet-China, and one of our Kailash groups was caught in it. While on their way back, they were at the immigration office when the flood occurred, and the building and much of the town seems to have been flooded,” Sadhguru stated, adding that he was present in the region to assist authorities with rescue operations.Providing a breakdown of the 21 groups participating in the sojourn, the foundation noted that 495 pilgrims had already returned safely. “Currently, 743 devotees remain in Tibet, 148 in Nepal, 77 at the Gyirong immigration facility, and three volunteers are stationed at Timure, Nepal,” it said.Coimbatore district collector Pavankumar G Giriyappanavar verified the details with Isha, confirming that no pilgrims from Tamil Nadu or elsewhere in India were among the 77 pilgrims.
