Over 100 Indian Pilgrims Are Among the Missing in Nepal Floods
Many of them were traveling to or from a Himalayan peak that is revered by Hindus as the spiritual home of the god Shiva.
Nearly 400 foreign tourists are reported missing in the recent Nepal floods, with over 100 of them being from India, according to initial estimates from Nepal and Indian officials. Many of the Indian nationals were en route to or from Mount Kailash, a sacred Himalayan peak that holds significance for Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains alike.
The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a Hindu pilgrimage, had seen disruptions due to the Covid pandemic and the strained diplomatic relations between India and China, but access had recently been restored.
Sadhguru, a prominent spiritual guru and entrepreneur, shared harrowing footage on X, showing water engulfing people as they attempted to flee from the border crossing near Nepal and Tibet. He reported that 77 individuals from tours organized by his Isha Foundation were at the immigration center when the floodwaters arrived, but his statement noted that there was no official information on the whereabouts of the others at the office.
A travel agent from the South Indian city of Kumbakonam, Syed Umar Farooq, was leading a separate tour when the disaster struck. His family and friends have been unable to reach him since the group left their hotel, and his vehicles have also gone missing. Friends and relatives of the travel agent, R. Daniel Ajit and Mohammad Hussain, have reached out to another group of around 20 Indian pilgrims who claimed they were safe.
Mujib Mashal, the South Asia bureau chief for The New York Times, covers India and the surrounding region, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bhutan.
Written by urgent.news from The New York Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
