Nepal-Tibet floods: Durban woman Terricia Govender among missing pilgrims

Durban woman Terricia Govender is among pilgrims missing after devastating flash floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border.

The family of a 33-year-old woman from Isipingo Beach is anxiously awaiting news of her whereabouts after she went missing when devastatin g flash floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border.

Terricia Govender was among a travel group that was at the border when an immigration office was washed away in the floods on Wednesday.

Her mother, Linda Govender, told POST Terricia had embarked on her pilgrimage on August 12 and had been looking forward to the trip for months.

Govender was travelling alone but was part of a larger tour grou p associated with the Isha Foundation, which was returning from the Mount Kailash Yatra when the disaster struck.

The family was informed by the foundation that Terricia was among those missing.

“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.”

The family last spoke to Terricia on Tuesday while she was shopping and sightseeing.

Govender said they had been on a video call during which her daughter showed her some of the places she had visited.

“After a while, she went back to her hotel to sleep. We were meant to speak again yesterday, but she never called,” she said.

Initially, the family believed the silence was due to poor cellphone reception.

“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.

The family has been left feeling helpless as they wait for information from thousands of kilometres away.