Nepal flash floods: Isha Foundation says 53 people of Indian origin among 77 missing pilgrims

The Isha Foundation has provided details about a group of 77 pilgrims who remain unreachable following devastating flash floods in Nepal, saying 53 people of Indian origin were among them.

The group was part of Isha Sacred Walks and included people from 19 countries, according to Maa Gambhiri, coordinator at Isha Sacred Walks. More than 50 women were also part of the group.

Speaking to ANI on Wednesday, Gambhiri said, “There were more than 50 women, and the rest were men... There were people from 19 countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, Europe, the UK, and Asian countries... This was our group of foreign nationals... 53 people of Indian origin were in this group.”

Isha Foundation unable to contact group

The pilgrims had completed the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and were returning towards Kathmandu when the floods struck.

Gambhiri said the foundation has been unable to establish contact with the group because communications were disrupted following the floods.

“We haven't been able to establish contact yet because there was a massive flood. All communication lines are down, and we cannot reach anyone on the ground. We are just waiting to hear back from the authorities with some information... hoping to find out something by tomorrow morning,” she said.

According to Gambhiri, the group had reached an immigration centre after completing the pilgrimage and clearing Tibetan immigration. The group consisted of 77 pilgrims and was led by a person named Praveen.

“We have 21 groups travelling to Kailash Mansarovar this year. Many have already successfully completed their pilgrimage, while others are currently en route, and some are just about to start,” Gambhiri said.

“This specific group had already finished their journey and was heading back to Kathmandu this morning after clearing Tibetan immigration. There were 77 pilgrims who had reached the immigration centre. The group leader was named Praveen,” she said.

Contact lost minutes after morning call

Gambhiri said an Isha team member managed to speak with the group leader at around 9:05 am, but communication was lost shortly afterwards.

“One of our team members spoke to him at 9:05 am. However, when we tried to contact him again ten minutes later, we couldn't get through to him or anyone else. It seems the incident occurred within those ten minutes,” she said.

She added that there had been no indication that the group was facing danger before contact was lost.

“We had no prior information or inkling that anything was amiss; everything seemed completely normal during our conversation, and this happened quite suddenly... There was no warning, no indication; nothing was communicated. This accident happened suddenly,” Gambhiri added.

'Beyond imagination': Isha coordinator

Describing the floods, Gambhiri said the scale of the disaster was unlike anything the group had previously encountered.

“We have certainly seen minor incidents, small things like a minor landslide that would get cleared up within 12 to 24 hours... But what we witnessed today is something we have never seen before. It is beyond imagination what happened today,” she said.

At least 157 people have been killed and nearly 400 remain missing after flash floods struck Nepal's Bhotekoshi River on Wednesday, The Kathmandu Post reported. Foreign nationals and security personnel are among those unaccounted for.

The flash floods affected three districts, sweeping away people, homes, vehicles and critical infrastructure. CNN, citing Nepalese police on X, also reported the death toll at 157.