Travellers on spiritual pilgrimage caught in Nepal-Tibet flood horror
Hundreds of pilgrims, including at least 15 of 34 missing Australians, are among those unaccounted for in the wake of the Nepal floods.
At least 160 people have been killed and up to 430 people are missing as of Thursday morning after catastrophic flash floods ripped through the border area of Nepal and China.
The flood ripped through the border of Nepal and Tibet, where hundreds of pilgrims are believed to have been crossing. Xinhua via AP
Frantic searches for survivors are continuing on both sides of the border, with a large group of missing people believed to have been crossing the border into Tibet as part of a sacred pilgrimage.
Many people were taking part in the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, a pilgrimage which sees Buddhists and Hindus cross into Tibet from Nepal to trek to Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar.
Both are considered holy sites in the respective religions, and about 20-30,000 pilgrims make the journey each year.
The trip starts in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, and the round trip takes a couple of weeks.
Hundreds of people remain missing, including Australians and other foreign nationals. Prabin Ranbhat/AFP/Getty via CNN
The pilgrimage is organised annually by the Ministry of External Affairs of India, with support from the Chinese government, though it has been disrupted in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Sadghuru, an Indian spiritual guru, whose foundation organised some of the tours, confirmed one of his groups was impacted by the floods at the Gyirong border.
“While on their way back, they were at the immigration office when the flood occurred and the building and much of the town seems to have been flooded,” he said in a post on X.
A mudslide-hit area near Gyirong Port in southwestern China’s Tibetan Autonomous Region (Xinhua via AP
“All of us, including the volunteers and support teams are deeply anguished and are doing our utmost to assist in the rescue.”
He said of the 21 groups on the trek, 495 people have returned safely.
A US travel company has confirmed it has lost contact with 15 Australians who were on the pilgrimage.
Himalayan Glacier Adventures told the Australian Financial Review they had received no word from the group since the landslide.
A person injured in the flash flooding is brought to a hospital for treatment in Nepal’s Nuwakot district AP Photo/Niranjan Shrestha
“We have 15 Australians going on the Kailash tour with HG and all of them are currently unaccounted for,” a spokesperson said.
The Sydney Morning Herald also reported that two boys, aged 11 and 14, were on the same tour.
Rescuers carry a victim of flash flooding to safety along the Trishuli River in Nepal’s Nuwakot district. Niranjan Shrestha
Sunil Sharma, a Nepal tourism board spokesperson, said 133 were from India on pilgrimage, while at least 62 missing Nepali citizens were among hundreds of locals trekking in the Gosaikunda Lake area in hard-hit Rasuwa district bordering Tibet’s Gyirong.
This coincided with the local festival of Janai Purnima on Friday, Sharma said.
Though the current monsoon season is less favourable for trekking in Nepal, it’s a major season for Kailash trekking, which follows the route in Nepal’s Rasuwa district.
While August is not the peak season for tourists to climb Mount Everest due to the presence of monsoons, it is still a popular time for tourists to trek in other parts of the country.
A flood-damaged section of a highway in Nuwakot, Central Nepal, following the outburst of a glacial lake in Tibet. NurPhoto via Getty Images
Officials in Nepal said 341 foreign nationals were missing.
This includes 47 from the United States, 33 from Britain and 24 from Canada.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong said DFAT was working urgently to track down the Australians who are missing.
She urged Australians in need of emergency consular existence to contact the 24-hour hotline on 1300 555 135, or on +61 2 6261 3305 from overseas.
