The tranquil journey for hundreds of Hindu pilgrims heading towards the sacred Mount Kailash in Tibet took a terrifying turn last Wednesday when flash floods ravaged parts of Nepal. The Trishuli river, swollen by recent downpours, washed away a significant section of the Pasang Lhamu highway. This severed the Rasuwa district from Nuwakot and cut off a crucial route for travelers. This catastrophic event has left families frantic, scrolling through social media for any news of their missing relatives.
Instagram posts and pleas on X tell heartbreaking stories. "Our parents Shubhakshi and Sumit were in Nepal when the floods hit," one young woman, Varnika, shared, her words halting as she explained their plight. Many of the missing pilgrims had one thing in common: they were en route to Mount Kailash. This peak is revered by Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, and indigenous Tibetan religions. They were near a border crossing that became a focal point of the disaster.
Deadly incidents aren't new to large religious gatherings. We saw over 30 people die in a stampede at India's Kumbh Mela in 2025. A horrific crush during the Hajj in Mecca killed more than 2,400 back in 2015. Yet, a flood wiping out pilgrims in the Himalayas is a rare and chilling event. The connection being drawn to climate change is even more alarming, presenting a grim forecast for future pilgrimages in the region.
Authorities haven't released exact numbers, but a staggering number of pilgrims appear to be among the 853 foreigners reported missing by China and Nepal. Sources suggest these could include many of the 287 Indian nationals and 80 U.S. citizens reported missing. Among them is Vivek Srivastav, a biotech scientist who settled in Atlanta decades ago and became a U.S. citizen just five years back. His brother-in-law, Guarav Khare, shared that Srivastav was on a pilgrimage with 10 others to Mt. Kailash.
This journey's considered one of life's most significant undertakings for devotees.
Mount Kailash is deeply embedded in the Hindu faith, believed to be the eternal abode of Lord Shiva. The mountain itself is so sacred that climbing it is forbidden. Instead, pilgrims traditionally walk about 33 miles around its base. This trek typically takes three days and is made even more challenging by the extreme altitude.
For some families, the danger was a known concern. Shubham Kumar recalls begging his in-laws, Sanghamitra and Debarshi Banerjee, who were in their sixties, not to go. They were part of a group of 32 pilgrims now missing. "It is a very difficult route," he told them, but they felt "destined to go."
Like many others, Sanghamitra and Debarshi Banerjee's last contact was as they reached the border crossing between Nepal and Chinese-held Tibet. "After that, there is no communication," Kumar said. This crossing was tragically close to where a section of a glacier broke free, crashing into a river valley below. The resulting torrent of ice and rock obliterated a multi-story building, the Gyirong Port Immigration Office. Footage shows the structure simply vanishing.
Jagadish Vasudev, known globally as Sadhguru and leader of the Isha Foundation, expressed his dismay. His foundation lost contact with three guides and 77 pilgrims from 19 countries, including the U.S. and Canada. He mentioned that his foundation’s tours operated with a strict schedule, aiming to be the first group through immigration to avoid long delays. This strategy, he explained, was about efficiency. In this case, it placed them right in the path of disaster.
The speed and ferocity of the water overwhelmed the sturdy concrete structure. The floodwaters, carrying ice and debris, surged through the area, leaving a trail of destruction. As rescue efforts get underway, the scale of the loss is still unfolding. This leaves countless families holding onto a sliver of hope amidst the devastation.