By Sumayya
TORONTO — Ten Toronto residents who were participating in an excursion in Nepal coordinated by a non-profit association remain missing following fatal flash floods in the nation earlier this week, a representative for the association confirmed.
The Toronto travelers were part of a group of 12 Canadians participating in the trek managed by the Isha Foundation who remain missing as of Friday.
Global Affairs Canada has earlier stated that no fewer than 30 Canadians and permanent residents are unaccounted for after devastating flash floods and landslides tore through the Nepal-Tibet border zone.
As of Friday, authorities state the catastrophe has claimed more than 500 lives, demolished towns, and sparked a major rescue operation. Fresh alerts from regional law enforcement indicate another potential torrent could occur today following a reported dam failure on the Tibet side.
The Isha Foundation stated in a message to CTV News Toronto that one of its Kailash Yatra parties was stationed at an immigration center in Gyirong, Tibet while returning from Mount Kailash when the deluge occurred.
“The immigration building and neighboring zones were heavily damaged,” the foundation noted, stating that it is cooperating with officials and diplomatic agents to find the current location of all those missing.
To date, in excess of 3,700 individuals have been successfully evacuated in Nepal, though administrative coordinators indicate that 977 persons continue to be unaccounted for.
Across the Chinese sector of the frontier, state-run media channels documented five fatalities and earlier indicated that 558 individuals were missing. Hundreds of the unaccounted-for citizens are presumed to be international nationals who had traveled to the area for employment, mountaineering expeditions, or religious pilgrimages.
The Isha Foundation stated that its direct, primary focus is verifying the physical safety of the individuals who remain unaccounted for.
“We are cooperating with utmost urgency alongside the appropriate government bodies and diplomatic envoys to verify the current status and precise locations of the unaccounted-for travelers,” the organization specified.
The entity added that it maintains constant communication channels with the household members of the missing individuals and is committed to distributing verified details as soon as they become accessible.
