{
  "id": 3643917,
  "title": "Tamil Nadu, Bengal pilgrims among 133 Indians unaccounted for in Nepal floods",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/tamil-nadu-bengal-pilgrims-among-133-indians-unaccounted-for-in-nepal",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-27T02:22:33.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Hindustan Times",
    "slug": "hindustan-times",
    "url": "https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/nepal-flash-floods-deaths-news-today-indians-pilgrims-mount-kailash-isha-foundation-101787793579081.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A total of 133 Indians are currently unaccounted for in Nepal's recent flash floods, according to Nepal tourism officials. These missing individuals are believed to be pilgrims and tourists on their way to Mount Kailash, a sacred site for Hindus located in Tibet. Among the missing are a group of 77 individuals from the Isha Foundation, as well as 38 pilgrims from Tamil Nadu and 32 from Kolkata, as reported by the foundation and tour operators. Sunil Sharma, a spokesperson for the Nepal Tourism Board, confirmed that the missing also included Indian diaspora on pilgrimage to Mount Kailash.\n\nThe Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a pilgrimage undertaken by Hindus, often involves an alternative route through Kathmandu, which is less strenuous than the primary route through Dharchula in Uttarakhand. Bhasu Kumar Adhikari, the managing director of Kathmandu-based Touch Kailash Tour and Travels, stated that 390 pilgrims, including 93 Nepalis, were scheduled to cross the border on Wednesday morning. However, \"except a few, we have not been able to contact the pilgrims,\" he said.\n\nApart from the Indian pilgrims, 403 people, including 341 foreign nationals, were reported missing in Nepal. These missing individuals hail from at least 26 countries, with 47 from the United States, 34 from Australia, 33 from Britain, and 24 from Canada, as per Sunil Sharma. Among the foreigners, 21 groups were part of the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, with 495 returning, 743 in Tibet, and 148 in Nepal.\n\nThe Isha Foundation head, Sadguru, indicated that 77 people from the foundation were at the Chinese government's immigration centre at Gyirong in Tibet and three volunteers were in Timure, Nepal when a mudslide occurred. \"We are trying to get information about them,\" he said, adding that the foundation is cooperating with Nepalese authorities to locate the missing individuals.\n\nThe Tamil Nadu government has initiated a round-the-clock helpline for the families of the missing pilgrims and assistance is being provided through the Tamil Nadu House in New Delhi. In response to the disaster, the Kerala government has also opened a helpdesk through a state-run agency to assist Malayalis affected by the floods in Nepal.",
  "summary": "A flash flood swept through communities along Nepal's Bhote Koshi River near the Tibet border, resulting in at least 160 deaths. According to Nepal Police, 157 bodies were recovered on the Nepalese side, while Chinese authorities reported three deaths in Tibet's Gyirong County. Hundreds of people remain unaccounted for, including 133 Indians, as per the Nepal Police.\n\nThe missing Indians include pilgrims from Tamil Nadu and Bengal, though their exact number is not specified. The flood also left 17 Malaysians, 142 Indians, and citizens of Britain, South Africa, and the US unaccounted for, according to various sources. A list by the Nepal Tourism Board initially identified 384 travellers as missing — 291 foreign nationals and 93 Nepalis.\n\nIndia has sent 10 tonnes of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to Nepal. The Isha Foundation reported that 77 of its members were at the Chinese government's immigration centre at Gyirong in Tibet when a mudslide struck. The scale of the missing-persons crisis continues to grow as authorities work to reconcile lists from police, tourism agencies, travel companies, and foreign governments.",
  "key_points": [
    "133 Indians missing in Nepal floods, believed to be pilgrims and tourists.",
    "77 from Isha Foundation, 38 from Tamil Nadu, 32 from Kolkata among missing.",
    "Indian diaspora and 403 others from 26 countries also unaccounted for."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The unfolding situation highlights the vulnerability of large groups of pilgrims and tourists to natural disasters while traveling to remote sites, and puts pressure on governments to coordinate rescue efforts.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Free Press Journal",
        "title": "Nepal Flash Floods: 37 Tamil Nadu Tourists Unaccounted For, Isha Group Trapped In Tibet Deluge",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/nepal-flash-floods-37-tamil-nadu-tourists-unaccounted-for-isha-group",
        "published": "2026-08-27T02:31:43.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CNA - Singapore",
        "title": "Group of 47, including 2 Singaporeans, missing in Nepal floods: Hiking company",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/group-of-47-including-2-singaporeans-missing-in-nepal-floods-hiking-3657778",
        "published": "2026-08-27T03:14:00.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "Nepal Floods: Four South Africans still missing as death toll exceeds 155",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/nepal-floods-four-south-africans-still-missing-as-death-toll-exceeds",
        "published": "2026-08-27T03:55:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}