Another three days have passed, and there has still been no news of the 16 members of a tour group from the Coulsdon Mandir who were lost in last week’s catastrophic flooding while on pilgrimage in the Himalayas.
Still no news: some of the pilgrims from the Coulsdon temple, before last week’s horrendous flash flood
It is now being reported that as well as the pilgrims from the Coulsdon temple, four tour guides also remain missing.
Some news is emerging from Nepal, which was devastated by the glacier collapse flood. It is being reported today that two workers have been rescued from deep in tunnels at a hydro-power plant.
News from Tibet, however, where the Coulsdon group led by priest Nabhi Nandan Das was believed to have reached on their pilgrimage to the sacred Mount Kailash, has been more difficult to obtain. Tibet is under control of China.
The disaster happened on the morning of August 26. A wall of water, debris and mud came coursing down the steep-sided mountain valley, triggered by the collapse of a melting glacier on the border between Nepal and China-controlled Tibet. The Gyirong Port border crossing in Tibet was completely obliterated, while several other villages were also washed away.
At least 1,287 people are known to have been killed in the floods. More than 5,000 remain missing, according to Nepal’s disaster management agency.
In China, families with missing loved ones say they are relying on information from the Nepal side of the border, as well as foreign embassies and social media.
Coulsdon’s Hindu priest Das was last traced via WhatsApp at 3.57am (London time) on August 26. The glacier collapse occurred at 3.52am.
Here in Croydon, at the temple on Chipstead Valley Road, prayers have been said every evening. “Every hour without news is heartbreaking,” Sachin Bagla, an elder at the Mandir, said earlier this week.
Today is Krishna’s birthday: Janmastami.
A statement from the Mandir says: “We are celebrating janmastami on Friday September 4 and praying for the safe return of our beloved Nabhi prabhu and the group.
“We are looking for devotees to prepare and bring prasad at the mandir around 5.30 to 6pm. We are planning to prepare prasad for approx 200 people.” Prasad is the traditional offering of food, which is blessed and shared.
“Shravan maas jalabhishek and chanting will be dedicated to the protection of our beloved Nabhi ji and the entire group of 16 yatris together with four tour guides.”
The gathering is today at the Mandir on Chipstead Valley Road from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
The glacier collapse, which registered seismic shocks that were measured by scientists across the world, was caused by the global climate crisis, and has created significant instability for communities in the Himalayas.
Read more: Coulsdon temple’s 16 pilgrims all missing after floods in Tibet
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