NZ man missing in Nepal flash flood 'dreamed of pilgrimage for years'

A close friend has confirmed missing New Zealander Dejan Kuzmic was part of an Isha Foundation pilgrimage group inside the Gyirong immigration building when it was hit by a catastrophic flash flood in Nepal.

Kuzmic, who recently turned 44, was among 77 pilgrims returning from a trip to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar.

The group remains missing after the disaster on the Nepal-China border killed about 750 people, with more than 3000 still missing.

Alicia Gimelfarb, Kuzmic's flatmate, said the pilgrimage was a dream he had been planning for several years.

"I met Dejan through school," Gimelfarb said.

"We all went to Selwyn School," she said. "He was best friends with my husband's brother."

Gimelfarb said Kuzmic had completed the pilgrimage and was passing through customs at the Gyirong immigration building when the flood struck.

"He'd pretty much done everything he'd needed to do over there when the Gyirong Customs building was just swept away within a matter of seconds," she said.

Gimelfarb said the Isha Foundation had confirmed the group was at the immigration building about 10 minutes before the floods hit.

"He was very selfless, very generous and very ... affectionate," she said.

"He was always cheerful and, you know, wanted to make everyone smile and laugh."

Gimelfarb said he was always helpful and went the extra mile for people.

"He was a very spiritual person and spent four or five hours [each day] meditating in all the five years he lived with us," she said.

Gimelfarb said Kuzmic had also met guru Sadhguru, founder of the Isha Foundation.

On Sunday, Sadhguru hosted a special event titled "In Solidarity with Nepal" to support the resilience and spirit of the people of Nepal and express unity and solidarity with the Kailash pilgrims and all those affected by the tragedy.

He said the foundation had received a phone call from the group leader at 9.05am local time, saying everyone in the group was at the immigration centre and that they were the first group to arrive.

"I wished [the group] had gone there half an hour later, but [it] went there on time and, at 9:14am, this struck," Sadhguru said.

The Isha Foundation also released a statement on Sunday that said none of the group had been rescued, and there were no confirmed indications of survivors from the immigration office area.

"The immigration office complex has been completely washed away," the statement said.

Five New Zealanders remain missing following the deadly flash flood at the Nepal-China border.

Two hundred and eighty-nine foreign nationals have been rescued, according to an update from the Nepal Tourism Board early Monday morning.

No New Zealanders have been included in that number.

The other missing New Zealanders are Shweta Mhatre, Mihir Patel, Kinnari Patel and Suhasini Reddy.

RNZ understands Mhatre was also part of the Isha Foundation's pilgrimage, and Sadhguru had previously said two New Zealanders were missing from his pilgrimage group.

Meanwhile, people across New Zealand have gathered at candlelight vigils over the past three days to remember those killed in the flash floods and stand with families still waiting for news of loved ones missing after the disaster.

In Auckland, dozens braved heavy rain at Aotea Square on Saturday, while vigils were also held at Wellington's Diversity Plaza on Friday, Hamilton's Garden Place on Saturday and Christchurch's Latimer Square on Sunday.

The New Zealand Nepali Association said on Facebook that $19,734 had been raised so far for Nepal flood relief.

A separate fundraising event at Sri Dashmesh Darbar Gurdwara in Papatoetoe on Sunday raised a further $15,000.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said there had been no change to the status of the five missing New Zealanders.

"MFAT continues to work intensely to gather information, including via officials who have been deployed to Kathmandu," a spokesperson from the ministry said. "Consular officials are providing support to the families of those individuals."

The spokesperson said MFAT could not confirm the names of the New Zealanders affected or provide details about individual consular cases for privacy reasons.

New Zealand had pledged a $2 million humanitarian assistance package for Nepal to support the Nepal Red Cross in delivering emergency assistance, including shelter, water and sanitation, the spokesperson said.