The family of 33-year-old Terricia Govender is anxiously waiting for answers after she disappeared during devastating flash floods near the Nepal-Tibet border.
Govender, from Isipingo Beach, was travelling with a pilgrimage group when floodwaters swept through the area on Wednesday. An immigration office at the border was reportedly washed away during the disaster.
Her family was later informed by the Isha Foundation that she was among the people missing from the group.
Govender had travelled to the region for the Mount Kailash Yatra, a pilgrimage linked to Mount Kailash, which is regarded as a sacred site by Hindus and other religious communities. She had been looking forward to the journey for months and left South Africa on August 12.
Her mother, Linda Govender, said Terricia was travelling alone but had joined a larger tour group associated with the Isha Foundation. The group was returning from the pilgrimage when the floods struck.
“She was so excited to be part of the Sadhguru group. She was his devoted follower,” her mother said.
“She was part of the S3 group. She always wanted to visit the birthplace of Lord Shiva.”
Last Contact Before The Floods
The family last spoke to Terricia on Tuesday, while she was shopping and sightseeing during the trip.
Govender said they had spoken over a video call and that her daughter had shown her some of the places she had visited. After the call, Terricia returned to her hotel to sleep.
“After a while, she went back to her hotel to sleep. We were meant to speak again yesterday, but she never called,” Govender said.
At first, her family believed the silence was caused by poor cellphone reception. They waited for her to make contact, unaware that she may have been caught in the disaster at the border.
“I waited but thought that the signal was just bad. At 2.30pm, we got an email from the foundation saying she was part of the group which was at the border and was now missing,” Govender said.
“That is all the information we have received. We know nothing else.”
The family has been left trying to follow developments from thousands of kilometres away, without anyone known to them on the ground who can provide immediate information.
“It is so difficult being in another country and not being able to know anyone there to help us. We are lost and distraught,” Govender said.
The uncertainty has been made harder by the fact that Terricia recently celebrated her birthday during the pilgrimage. She turned 33 on August 20 and marked the occasion with Sadhguru, the spiritual leader associated with the Isha Foundation.
“She just celebrated her birthday with Sadhguru. She felt as if she had met him for the first time on her birthday,” her mother said.
Pilgrimage Group Caught In Disaster
The group was returning from Kailash Mansarovar when the flash flood struck the Gyirong area. The immigration office was reportedly in the path of the floodwaters, leaving those who were there unaccounted for.
The Isha Foundation said a group of pilgrims had been at the immigration office when the flood occurred. Sadhguru described the incident as a major disaster and said volunteers and support teams were working with authorities to assist with rescue efforts.
At least 77 people from one of the foundation’s pilgrimage groups were reported to be missing at the time of the initial updates. The wider disaster also affected pilgrims and travellers in the border region, with hundreds of people reported to be out of contact.
The floodwaters swept through villages and damaged bridges, roads and buildings in the region. The destruction disrupted movement between Tibet and Nepal and complicated efforts to establish the whereabouts of those who had been caught in the affected areas.
The foundation said many members of the broader pilgrimage groups had returned safely, while others remained in Tibet or Nepal. However, families continued to wait for confirmation about those who were at the immigration office when the flood hit.
For Terricia’s family, the wider figures offer little comfort while they remain without a direct update about her.
Govender said the family was devastated after seeing footage of the flooding. The images forced them to imagine what Terricia may have experienced and where she could be.
“When we saw the videos of the flooding, we were devastated, thinking where she must have been when it happened and where she is now. I do not want to watch the videos. It is heartbreaking.”
Family Appeals For Information
Govender described her daughter as kind, intelligent and loving. Terricia is the second of her three children, and her family is appealing to anyone with information about her or the affected group to come forward.
“She is my second child of three. She is kind, intelligent and loving. We are just pleading to anyone who knows any information to please help us. We want her to be found safe and brought home to us.”
The family is also seeking clearer communication from the organisations and authorities involved in the response. With communication networks and travel routes affected by the flooding, relatives have struggled to establish who is coordinating information about the missing pilgrims.
“We just want information. Not even the embassy is helping us,” Govender said.
The family’s wait continues as rescue teams and officials work to account for those who were in the flood-hit border area. Relatives of the missing pilgrims are also trying to identify safe channels for updates while hoping that their loved ones will be located.
For the Govender family, every message now carries the possibility of news about Terricia. Her mother said they wanted only one outcome: to learn that her daughter had been found safe and could return home.
