77 from Isha Foundation Missing After Nepal-Tibet Flash Floods; Sadhguru Says He’s Ready to Join Rescue Efforts
On Wednesday, a sudden, brutal flash flood tore through the Gyirong area on the Tibet-China side of the border with Nepal, and right in the middle of it was a group of Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrims from the Isha Foundation. Seventy-seven of them were at the immigration office when the water came crashing in. The building and a big chunk of the town got flooded. As of the latest updates, there’s still no official word on where any of them are.
Sadhguru put out a clear, heavy-hearted statement. He said a terrible and tragic flash flood hit Gyirong, and one of their Kailash groups got caught in it. They were on the way back, waiting at the immigration office, when it happened. The building and much of the town look like they went under. He didn’t sugarcoat it: “There has been no official information on the whereabouts of any of the people who were at the immigration office.”
What stands out is how he framed the response. Volunteers and support teams are deeply anguished, he said, and they’re doing everything they can to help with the rescue. They’re working with the authorities to try and reach the spot, and they’re ready to be part of the efforts “regardless of the risk involved.” He’s personally in the region coordinating with local teams. That “ready to join” line isn’t just talk—it’s the kind of thing that tells you the situation on the ground is still raw and dangerous.
To put the numbers in perspective, this was part of a bigger sojourn with 21 groups. Sadhguru shared the breakdown: 495 people have already returned safely. Another 743 are still in Tibet, 148 are in Nepal, those 77 were at the immigration center, and three volunteers are in Timure, Nepal. Some reports note the 77 were foreign nationals from multiple countries. Families are waiting, and the uncertainty is the hardest part.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. The same surge of water slammed into Nepal’s Rasuwa district, especially areas like Syaphrubesi and Timure along the Bhote Koshi river. Bridges, houses, roads, and even infrastructure projects got washed away. Early counts put the death toll in Nepal in the dozens (reports have ranged from around 55 to higher as more bodies were recovered), with hundreds missing overall—pilgrims, locals, and security personnel among them. Nepal’s tourism board and officials have spoken of hundreds out of contact, including a significant number of Indian tourists and NRIs. The Chinese customs side at the border took a heavy hit too. Helicopters are flying, the Nepal Army has teams out, and India has been coordinating support, including relief aircraft on standby.
Kailash-Mansarovar yatras are already tough journeys—high altitude, remote routes, unpredictable weather. These groups had completed the spiritual part and were heading home when nature flipped the script. Flash floods in these mountain corridors can come with almost no warning, sometimes linked to glacial activity, landslides, or other upstream events. Once the water is moving, the narrow valleys turn into traps.
What’s coming through in the coverage is the human side. Sadhguru’s message to the families was straightforward: he shares their pain, and the teams are sparing no effort. On the ground, rescue work is complicated by damaged roads, ongoing weather risks, and communication blackouts in places. Volunteers are liaising with local authorities, and the Isha side has made it clear they’re not waiting on the sidelines.
It’s the kind of story that makes you pause. One moment people are finishing a pilgrimage that means a great deal to them, the next they’re unaccounted for in a flooded immigration office on a remote border. The broader rescue continues across the affected stretches of Nepal and the Tibet side. Updates are still coming in, and every piece of confirmed information matters right now.
For the families and everyone connected to those 77—and the many others missing in the wider floods—the waiting is the worst part. The readiness Sadhguru spoke about, and the work already underway with authorities, is at least a concrete step in a situation that otherwise feels overwhelming.
We’ll keep watching for any word on the missing. In the meantime, the focus stays on the rescue teams, the volunteers, and getting people home.
Sources:
Sadhguru’s statement posted on X (August 26, 2026); reports from NDTV, India Today, Times of India, India TV, ABP Live, Business Today, Republic World, and related coverage of the Nepal-Tibet border floods and Isha Foundation updates.
77 from Isha Foundation Missing After Nepal-Tibet Flash Floods; Sadhguru Says He’s Ready to Join Rescue Efforts
On Wednesday, a sudden, brutal flash flood tore through the Gyirong area on the Tibet-China side of the border with Nepal, and right in the middle of it was a group of Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrims from the Isha Foundation. Seventy-seven of them were at the immigration office when the water came crashing in. The building and a big chunk of the town got flooded. As of the latest updates, there’s still no official word on where any of them are.
Sadhguru put out a clear, heavy-hearted statement. He said a terrible and tragic flash flood hit Gyirong, and one of their Kailash groups got caught in it. They were on the way back, waiting at the immigration office, when it happened. The building and much of the town look like they went under. He didn’t sugarcoat it: “There has been no official information on the whereabouts of any of the people who were at the immigration office.”
What stands out is how he framed the response. Volunteers and support teams are deeply anguished, he said, and they’re doing everything they can to help with the rescue. They’re working with the authorities to try and reach the spot, and they’re ready to be part of the efforts “regardless of the risk involved.” He’s personally in the region coordinating with local teams. That “ready to join” line isn’t just talk—it’s the kind of thing that tells you the situation on the ground is still raw and dangerous.
To put the numbers in perspective, this was part of a bigger sojourn with 21 groups. Sadhguru shared the breakdown: 495 people have already returned safely. Another 743 are still in Tibet, 148 are in Nepal, those 77 were at the immigration center, and three volunteers are in Timure, Nepal. Some reports note the 77 were foreign nationals from multiple countries. Families are waiting, and the uncertainty is the hardest part.
This wasn’t an isolated incident. The same surge of water slammed into Nepal’s Rasuwa district, especially areas like Syaphrubesi and Timure along the Bhote Koshi river. Bridges, houses, roads, and even infrastructure projects got washed away. Early counts put the death toll in Nepal in the dozens (reports have ranged from around 55 to higher as more bodies were recovered), with hundreds missing overall—pilgrims, locals, and security personnel among them. Nepal’s tourism board and officials have spoken of hundreds out of contact, including a significant number of Indian tourists and NRIs. The Chinese customs side at the border took a heavy hit too. Helicopters are flying, the Nepal Army has teams out, and India has been coordinating support, including relief aircraft on standby.
Kailash-Mansarovar yatras are already tough journeys—high altitude, remote routes, unpredictable weather. These groups had completed the spiritual part and were heading home when nature flipped the script. Flash floods in these mountain corridors can come with almost no warning, sometimes linked to glacial activity, landslides, or other upstream events. Once the water is moving, the narrow valleys turn into traps.
What’s coming through in the coverage is the human side. Sadhguru’s message to the families was straightforward: he shares their pain, and the teams are sparing no effort. On the ground, rescue work is complicated by damaged roads, ongoing weather risks, and communication blackouts in places. Volunteers are liaising with local authorities, and the Isha side has made it clear they’re not waiting on the sidelines.
It’s the kind of story that makes you pause. One moment people are finishing a pilgrimage that means a great deal to them, the next they’re unaccounted for in a flooded immigration office on a remote border. The broader rescue continues across the affected stretches of Nepal and the Tibet side. Updates are still coming in, and every piece of confirmed information matters right now.
For the families and everyone connected to those 77—and the many others missing in the wider floods—the waiting is the worst part. The readiness Sadhguru spoke about, and the work already underway with authorities, is at least a concrete step in a situation that otherwise feels overwhelming.
We’ll keep watching for any word on the missing. In the meantime, the focus stays on the rescue teams, the volunteers, and getting people home.
Sources:
Sadhguru’s statement posted on X (August 26, 2026); reports from NDTV, India Today, Times of India, India TV, ABP Live, Business Today, Republic World, and related coverage of the Nepal-Tibet border floods and Isha Foundation updates.
@Rohit Manral
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