Volunteers working with Warren County-based Isha Institute are feared missing following the catastrophic flash flood in Nepal.
Organization Volunteers said Isha waited to provide an update to ensure all information came from authentic and trusted sources. Isha Volunteers said the immigration office complex has been completely washed away and there are currently no encouraging indications of survivors at the site.
“We wish with all our hearts that we could offer you something more hopeful,” Isha Volunteers said. “Everything our teams have seen, and everything those closest to the site have shared with us, has led us to expect the worst.”
Isha Volunteers said Chinese authorities are conducting search and rescue operations with personnel and equipment on the ground. Isha Volunteers said these efforts were temporarily paused on the 28th due to the risk of a second flood before resuming at noon local time.
“The local experts who know the terrain well have told our on-ground team that it is very unlikely that anyone could have possibly survived the force of the flood,” Isha Volunteers said. “The mix of debris and water rose very high, probably as high as 150 ft with immense force, completely wiping out the whole building complex.”
Isha Volunteers said the valley at the port is covered with approximately 45 to 50 feet of silt and debris. Isha Volunteers said the organization has teams stationed on both sides of the border at the closest permitted locations to monitor the situation.
“Although we have been seeing various visuals of the destruction at the port, we have now been able to corroborate these images and findings through multiple local sources and people on the ground who have direct knowledge of the situation,” Isha Volunteers said. “This has confirmed the extent of the destruction we have been seeing in the visuals.”
Isha Volunteers said the coordination team is working with the Office of the Prime Minister of India, the Nepali Army, and embassies in Kathmandu and Beijing. Isha Volunteers said the group is cross-checking lists of rescued individuals released by the Nepal Government, but no names have matched the missing group members so far.
“It is with a very heavy heart that we share this update,” Isha Volunteers said. “This is an unimaginable calamity that has affected our community.”
Isha Volunteers said the organization will remain in close contact with families and continue to share information as it is received.
