Isha Foundation on Saturday, 30 August said it feared the worst for 80 participants of its Kailash Sojourn pilgrimage group who were at Gyirong Port on the Nepal–China border when a catastrophic flood struck the area. The organisation said the scale of destruction and information gathered from people on the ground had led its teams to “expect the worst.”

What Happened at Gyirong Port

The flood inundated Gyirong Port, a key transit point for pilgrims travelling to Mount Kailash in Tibet. According to Isha Foundation, local sources indicated the valley was buried under an estimated 45–50 feet of silt and debris. The floodwaters, mixed with debris, reportedly rose as high as 150 feet with immense force, “completely wiping out the whole building complex,” the organisation said in its update.

Local experts familiar with the terrain reportedly told the organisation’s on-ground team that it was highly unlikely anyone could have survived the force of the flooding. Isha Foundation said it had corroborated visuals of the destruction with multiple local sources but stressed it could not independently verify every detail given restricted access.

Rescue Operations and Current Status

Search and rescue operations are being conducted by Chinese authorities at Gyirong Port, with personnel and equipment deployed to the site. The efforts were temporarily suspended on 28 August due to the risk of a second flood and resumed by noon local time the same day, according to the organisation.

Isha Foundation’s teams have been positioned on both sides of the Nepal–China border at the closest locations permitted. Its team on the Chinese side is approximately 25 km from the Gyirong site and is in direct contact with frontline rescue teams and officials. A coordination team on the Nepal side is stationed in Kathmandu, as access to the affected area remains restricted.

The organisation said the devastation on the Nepal side was extensive, with roads washed away and movement severely curtailed.

Coordination with Indian and Nepali Authorities

Isha Foundation said it had been coordinating with the Office of the Prime Minister of India, Indian embassies in Kathmandu and Beijing, the Nepali Army’s search and rescue team, Nepal Tourist Police, and the Rescue Control Board.

Information about the missing group has been shared with frontline rescue teams, along with additional phone-signal data to assist in the search. The organisation is also monitoring lists of rescued individuals and cross-checking them against the names of its participants.

“So far, there has been no released list of rescued individuals from the Chinese port that includes members of our group,” the statement said. Lists released by the Nepal government identifying survivors from affected downstream areas had also not contained any names of group members, according to the update.

No Confirmed Survivors from the Group

As of the update on 30 August, no members of the 80-person Kailash Sojourn group had been confirmed among the rescued. Isha Foundation said the calamity had deeply affected its community and expressed solidarity with the families of the participants and all others affected by the disaster.

“Sadhguru and the whole Isha community are with you,” the statement said, adding that further updates would be shared as more information became available. The situation at Gyirong Port remains fluid, with rescue operations continuing under challenging conditions.