NE NEWS SERVICE
KATHMANDU, AUG 27
For pilgrims who had travelled towards Mount Kailash in search of a spiritual journey, the final leg of their return became a desperate fight against silence. A devastating flash flood swept through Gyirong in Tibet near the Nepal border, leaving an international Isha Foundation pilgrimage group unaccounted for and cutting roads and telecommunications as rescuers struggled to reach the disaster zone.
— Sadhguru (@SadhguruJV) August 27, 2026
Spiritual leader and Isha Foundation founder Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, who is in Tibet, said 80 people associated with the organisation were caught in the disaster and that there had been no official information on their whereabouts. Current reports from Isha Foundation and news agencies have put the number of pilgrims among the group at 77, along with three volunteers, while the broader situation remains fluid as rescue operations continue.
- A journey to Kailash ends in uncertainty: An international Isha Foundation pilgrimage group was at the Gyirong immigration centre when a devastating flash flood struck
- Nine minutes that changed everything: Group leader Ishanga Praveen reportedly messaged at 9.05 am; the disaster struck at 9.14 am, cutting communications
- “All phones are off, all telecommunications are down”: Sadhguru, stranded in Saga, seeks permission to reach the disaster zone with a small volunteer team
- A border town swept away: Roads, buildings and communications have been devastated, leaving rescue teams struggling to establish the whereabouts of those missing
- A global human tragedy: The group included pilgrims and volunteers from the US, Canada, Australia, UK, Germany, France, Nepal and several other countries
- Beyond one missing group: The catastrophe has left hundreds missing across the Nepal-Tibet border, with authorities warning of a potentially far larger toll
The tragedy has unfolded amid a wider catastrophe along the Nepal-China border. Reports on Thursday said hundreds of people remained missing across the affected region, with extensive destruction to roads, bridges, buildings and other infrastructure. China has separately reported casualties and missing people in Tibet’s Gyirong area.
Nine minutes before disaster
The most chilling detail emerging from the tragedy is the narrow window between the last known communication and the arrival of the flood.
Sadhguru said the group leader, Ishanga Praveen, who has been associated with the organisation for more than two decades, sent a message at 9.05 am on Wednesday saying the group had reached immigration.
“At 9.05 a.m., he sent a message that they had arrived at the immigration. The disaster occurred at 9.14 a.m.”
According to Sadhguru, the group was at the immigration building when the flood struck.
He said the absence of a Nepal mobile connection that would normally have become active after crossing the border added to the alarm.
“So literally the entire group was there in the building. So this is a terrible and an extraordinary event which unfortunately has turned out this way.”
The group had been returning from the Kailash pilgrimage when the disaster struck. Reports said the immigration centre was inundated as floodwaters surged through the area.
“All phones are off”: A spiritual leader left waiting
Sadhguru said he attempted to travel personally to the affected area but was unable to do so because roads were blocked and communication systems had collapsed.
“With a profound sense of pain and regret, I wish to bring to your notice that there has been a terrible flash flood between the Tibet and Nepal border… all phones are off, all telecommunications are down, roads are blocked, we are unable to go there.”
The uncertainty is particularly agonising because the scale of destruction makes it impossible to establish the condition of the group through normal channels.
“We have no official confirmation of any kind. But looking at the scale of destruction, it looks bad.”
He said a building where the group had undergone immigration procedures only a week earlier had been completely washed away, while a substantial part of the town also appeared to have disappeared.
The disaster has effectively created a communications vacuum at the very moment families are desperate for information.
An international group caught in the deluge
The group represented a remarkable cross-section of nationalities.
According to the details provided by Sadhguru, the 80-member group included 22 people from the United States, 12 from Canada, 11 from Australia, nine from the United Kingdom, four from Germany, three each from France and Nepal, two each from the Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and Spain, and one each from Finland, Hungary, Israel, Lithuania, the Philippines, Portugal, Russia and South Africa.
The group comprised 34 men and 46 women, besides volunteers staying nearby. Three volunteers and a doctor were also present with the group.
Their disappearance has consequently become an international concern, with Sadhguru saying the embassies of countries whose nationals were involved had been informed in both India and Nepal.
The wider disaster is also affecting foreign pilgrims and tourists travelling through the Himalayan border region. Recent reports said more than 400 tourists were among those unaccounted for in Nepal, while China separately reported hundreds missing in Tibet.
A border town ripped apart
Sadhguru said the available information suggested the devastation extended far beyond the immigration building.
“We don’t have any numbers as such, but the overall numbers could be anywhere around 1,500 plus.”
He said many Nepali guides associated with pilgrimage groups had families in the affected area and that their whereabouts were also unknown.
“That town where we entered, almost half the town is carved out of the valley.”
Independent reports have described scenes of extraordinary destruction across the Nepal-Tibet border region, with homes, roads, bridges and other infrastructure swept away by fast-moving floodwaters and debris.
The disaster has also raised questions about its trigger. Early reports indicated that the flooding was associated with a glacial collapse and resulting debris flow, rather than the earthquake initially suspected in some accounts. The US Geological Survey subsequently identified the seismic signal as being associated with the glacial collapse.
“Allow us to be there” — an appeal for access
With communication lines down and roads blocked, Sadhguru has appealed to authorities to permit him and a small group of volunteers to reach Gyirong.
He said the team would not interfere with official rescue operations but wanted to assist families desperate for information.
“We, along with the families, beseech you to kindly allow us (myself and a few volunteers) to be at Gyirong.”
He added: “We deeply respect and understand the nature of the rescue efforts and will in no way hamper them. Our only intent is to stand with them and aid in looking for some signs that would help the families.”
Sadhguru said efforts were being made through diplomatic channels, including the Indian and Chinese embassies, with the US Embassy also working on the issue.
“Your facilitation would be invaluable for us and all the families who have no whereabouts of their dear ones.”
The appeal comes as rescue teams on both sides of the border confront difficult terrain, damaged infrastructure and the continuing threat of secondary disasters. China has deployed additional emergency personnel while authorities continue monitoring dangerous conditions in the affected river systems.
A pilgrimage region now facing a deadly new reality
The tragedy is particularly poignant because the affected area is a major gateway for pilgrims and tourists travelling towards Mount Kailash and Mansarovar.
The disaster has demonstrated how quickly the Himalayan landscape can turn from a place of spiritual refuge into an environment of extreme danger.
For the families waiting for news, however, the geography and geopolitics of the border are secondary. What matters is a simple question: Where are their loved ones?
That question currently has no satisfactory answer.
As rescue and recovery efforts continue, the immediate priority remains locating survivors and accounting for those who remain missing. The wider catastrophe is already being described as one of the region’s most devastating recent natural disasters, with the final human cost still impossible to determine.
For Sadhguru and the families of the missing pilgrims, the hope is now painfully elemental — that the silence will break, the roads will open and somewhere amid the mud, water and wreckage, signs of life will emerge.
