Spiritual leader Jaggi Vasudev, popularly known as Sadhguru, has appealed to Chinese authorities to allow him and a small team of volunteers to enter Gyirong in Tibet, where 80 members of an Isha Foundation Kailash pilgrimage group went missing after a devastating flash flood.
The group, known as S3, was returning from the Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage and was at an immigration centre in Gyirong on the Tibet-Nepal border when the flood struck on Wednesday, August 26.
S3 was one of the 21 groups that undertook the Kailash pilgrimage this year under the Isha Foundation. Another group including Jaggi Vasudev was due to reach the same spot at the same time on Thursday.
Jaggi Vasudev, who is currently in Tibet, said he had attempted to reach the area but was unable to do so as roads leading to the site had been cut off.
In a video message on Thursday, August 27, Jaggi Vasudev said the group had been at the immigration centre when the building and much of the surrounding town were washed away. He said he had set out that morning to reach the site personally, but found all phones off, telecommunication networks down, and roads blocked, leaving him unable to get there. He recalled that the S3 group had been met earlier at Saga, another Tibetan town, and again while descending as his own team was trekking up.
Jaggi Vasudev said he was seeking permission through the Indian, Chinese, and US embassies to travel to Gyirong with a small team. He said the team wanted to assist with the search and rescue efforts and would not interfere with official operations.
“We write to you in absolute pain of losing 80 people from our group in the floods in Gyirong. We have no further information after the floods. We, along with the families, beseech you to kindly allow us (myself and a few volunteers) to be at Gyirong,” he said.
The missing group comprises 34 men and 46 women. Isha Foundation said the group included pilgrims from several countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia, the UK, Germany, France, Nepal, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Spain. Among them were 53 people of Indian origin. The group also included three volunteers and a doctor who had been staying in nearby hotels, among them a replacement doctor who had arrived from the ashram only two days earlier.
‘Last contacted on Wednesday morning’
Jaggi said the foundation last heard from the group leader, Ishanga Praveen, at 9.05 am on Wednesday, when he informed them that the pilgrims had reached the immigration centre. Nine minutes later, the flood struck. He noted that Praveen had been with the Isha Foundation in a full-time capacity for more than two decades.
The foundation became increasingly concerned when the Nepalese phone number used by Praveen did not become active. Jaggi Vasudev said this suggested that the group had not crossed into Nepal before the disaster.
“The same building where we were for the immigration just a week ago... that entire building was washed away,” he said while describing the scale of destruction. Around twelve hours after first losing contact, he said, the foundation had sent word to the affected families.
Of the 21 Isha Foundation groups that undertook the Kailash pilgrimage this year, Jaggi Vasudev said 495 people had already returned safely. Another 743 people were in Tibet and 148 were in Nepal, while three volunteers were in Timure on the Nepal side.
Rescue efforts underway in Nepal
The flash flood began on the Tibetan side and entered Nepal's Rasuwa district, causing extensive destruction along the Bhote Koshi river.
Officials said a glacier collapse and the resulting debris flow triggered the surge, which swept through Gyirong, Rasuwagadhi, Timure, and Syabrubesi. The border bridge, roads and other infrastructure were damaged, while power and communication networks were disrupted.
Nepal has reported more than 160 deaths, while hundreds of people remain missing. Rescue operations have been hampered by damaged roads, high water levels, and disrupted communications.
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has said that several bodies have been recovered and that security personnel are also among those missing. The Nepal Tourism Board has separately reported hundreds of travellers unaccounted for in the affected region.
Rescue teams, including the Nepal Army, police and private helicopter operators, have been deployed to evacuate stranded people and provide food, water, shelter and medical assistance.
Tamil pilgrims on the Kailash route
The disaster has also raised concerns over several groups of Indian pilgrims travelling on the Kailash route.
Several Tamil Nadu families are also awaiting confirmation about relatives who travelled to Kailash Mansarovar through Nepal.
A group of 57 pilgrims from Kumbakonam, organised by Super Yathra, was travelling towards Rasuwagadhi when the flood struck. Around 20 members of the group are reported to have reached a police post at Timure and are safe, but the whereabouts of more than 30 others have not yet been confirmed.
Another group of 49 pilgrims, organised by Mahadev Kailash Yatra in Chromepet, was also in the affected region. The agency said the group was at a Nepal immigration office when the flood struck and that it had not received official confirmation about their safety.
The Tamil Nadu government told the Assembly on Thursday that 103 people from the state had travelled to Nepal for the Kailash pilgrimage. Officials said the number could change as authorities continued to verify information from the Indian Embassy and other sources.
The issue was raised in the Tamil Nadu Assembly, with Opposition leaders seeking details of the number of people from the state who were missing and urging the government to coordinate with the Union government and Nepal to speed up rescue efforts.
The state government said it was in contact with the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu and had opened a 24-hour helpline through the Non-Resident Tamils Welfare Department.