KATHMANDU — A group of 77 pilgrims and volunteers associated with the Isha Foundation's Sacred Walks program remain completely out of reach following devastating flash floods in Nepal, organization officials confirmed on Thursday. The group, returning to Kathmandu after completing the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, lost all communication links within minutes as torrential waters wiped out local infrastructure and telecom networks.
Speaking on the sudden disruption, Maa Gambhiri, coordinator at Isha Sacred Walks, stated that search and rescue updates are awaited from ground authorities.
"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," Gambhiri told reporters. "We are waiting to hear back from the authorities with reliable information."
Sudden Communications Blackout
According to foundation details, 21 separate groups were designated for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra this season. The affected group of 77 individuals had successfully completed their pilgrimage, cleared Tibetan immigration, and arrived at a local border immigration facility to begin the final road leg back to Kathmandu.
A member of the Isha coordination team made contact with group leader Praveen at approximately 9:05 AM. At that point, conditions appeared entirely stable with no indications of approaching danger. However, repeated attempts to re-establish contact just ten minutes later failed, indicating that the disaster struck without warning.
"There was no warning, no indication; nothing was communicated. This accident happened suddenly," Gambhiri added, emphasizing that team members had no prior inkling that anything was amiss during their morning check-in.
Devastating Toll Across Rasuwa District
The localized deluge—focused heavily across the Rasuwa district and neighboring regions—marks one of the most destructive natural disasters to strike Nepal since the 2015 earthquakes. Official reports confirmed that emergency personnel have recovered at least 95 bodies from affected zones, with formal identification efforts underway.
The catastrophe has disrupted rescue infrastructure and security contingents deployed throughout the region. Officials report that 85 security personnel—including 44 from the Nepali Army, 28 from the Nepal Police, and 13 from the Armed Police Force—are currently unaccounted for after floodwaters hit operational outposts.
Furthermore, context released by the Office of the Prime Minister indicates widespread fallout across sectors:
Missing Workers: At least 60 personnel affiliated with regional hydropower generation projects remain untraceable.
Stranded Tourists: Roughly 484 travellers—comprising 391 foreign nationals and 93 domestic tourists—are reported out of contact due to collapsed road networks and offline telecom towers.
Multi-agency search units combining military and civilian emergency responders continue to clear debris and search riverbanks, though damaged roads and severed communication channels continue to severely restrict operations.
