WATCH: Durban mother returns home after two week search for daughter in Nepal - IOL

Linda Govender and her daughter Terricia.

After two weeks searching for her missing daughter Terricia following the August 26, Nepal–Tibet border flood, Durban mother Linda Govender has returned to South Africa but says the search will continue.

Govender said she was counting on her “Nepal family” to continue the search.

Terricia, who was a part of the Isha Foundation’s S3 group, had spent her birthday in Nepal on the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, and was at the Gyirong immigration office when the flood hit.

The natural disaster left over 1,400 people dead and over 6,000 are still missing.

On her return to South Africa at the weekend, Govender said she fell ill when she started talks about leaving Nepal last Tuesday.

“Coming back was not me giving up the search for Terricia. I pushed on and looked through debris, searching for clues as to where she may have been.

“From the time we stepped out of the plane in Nepal, our faces were known because I was actively posting on social media about my quest to find Terricia,” said Govender.

“During my search, I was keeping an eye out for any item, like an earring, necklace, piece of clothing, or bag which could give us an idea if Terricia or the group she was travelling with was in that area,” she added.

Govender appealed to the Chinese government to create a platform where photographs of the thousands of items belonging to the missing persons could be posted.

“This would help the families of those missing to view the items and confirm if it belongs to their loved one,” she said.

“The search was grueling, and took a toll on me emotionally and physically. Seeing Terricia’s photo on a missing person’s poster among thousands of other missing people devastated me.

“But I pushed past all the challenges, and continued my quest to find my daughter. I searched hospitals, conducted aerial searches and used a drone to find my child,” said Govender. 

“We found a family in so many families in Nepal, who despite their own troubles, opened their doors to us and helped us in our search,” Govender added.

She said there was no deadline for hope, and she would never stop searching for her daughter. 

“When I realised that I searched everywhere I could and I needed to come back home, I started getting hot and cold sweats. I had headaches, and I was vomiting. I lost my appetite.

“In my heart, I knew that no doctor could cure what I was feeling, and that my body was reacting to me having to give up my physical search and return home without Terricia.

“I live with faith that Terricia will be found. She might be lying unconscious in a hospital, or at a medical camp. The moment we have a solid lead about her whereabouts in Nepal, we will be on the next flight there to search for her again,” Govender said.

“We are waiting for the Tibetan authorities to allow us access into the area to search. To face challenges with red tape due to politics has been frustrating, but we are being patient and hoping for a favourable response from the authorities.

“For now, we have appealed to the Tibetan government to create a website or database with photographs of the belongings of those who are missing, so we can scroll through them and see if any of the items belong to Terricia.

“We have applied for access into Tibet and for the photograph request. However, to date, there has been no response.

“Everyday, we call the Tibetan hotline for missing persons, to get an update on Terricia, but we are told that there is no change in her missing person status.”

Govender said the support from the public had been overwhelming, and helped her through her toughest days as a mother.

“I get messages from strangers telling me that they were praying to Terricia and I. I see and feel the universal language of motherhood when mothers message me saying Terricia is not only my daughter, but she has become their daughter too, and that they are praying for her safe return home.

“I have assurance from many families and people in Nepal, who have been a great source of strength to me, that they will keep searching, and keep looking for clues as to where Terricia might be.

Govender was accompanied to Nepal by her brother Selva Govender, and Terricia’s friend Sashin Maharaj, who shared a 16-year friendship with her from high school.

She said last week, while she and Sashin were searching the riverbank, Sashin found a heart-shaped rock.

She said for them, this was a sign that they should not give up or lose hope in finding Terricia.

Maharaj said: “It has to be a sign. The rock was a beautifully shaped heart. At first, I thought it was a man-made object, but when I picked it up, I saw that it was a perfectly heart-shaped rock that stood out completely in the midst of the debris,” 

“I was amazed that something so beautiful and pure could be found among the rubble and debris, and I believe that this meant that there could be a miracle.

“Anything is possible. We have a lot of unanswered questions, but also a lot of reasons to be hopeful,” Maharaj added.