Missing Indian Pilgrims: Floods Halt Tibet Trek, 290+ Still Unaccounted

Indian pilgrim Subhrasree Chakraborty is among at least 290 Indians missing after flash floods struck Nepal’s border with Tibet, according to officials. The 43‑year‑old medical technologist was last seen sending a WhatsApp message at 08:03 a.m. on Wednesday, August 26, after her group had cleared Nepal’s immigration and was waiting to cross into China for the next stage of a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash.

The messages stopped abruptly. Her husband, Sudipto Bhattacharya, a government officer, received a picture of a departure stamp in her passport at 07:57 a.m. (02:27 GMT) and a second message at 08:03 saying the group was “waiting to enter China.” No further contact followed, and Bhattacharya has not received any updates about her whereabouts.

Chakraborty was travelling with a group of about 30 people, all of whom were on the same pilgrimage. She had been eager for the journey for years, and her last photographs sent from Kathmandu show her in a blue tunic smiling in a temple courtyard and posing in the historic Durbar Square. Bhattacharya described her as “very excited” and said it was her dream tour.

The pilgrimage began on Friday, 21 August, when Chakraborty travelled from Kolkata on the Mithila Express to Raxaul, then to Birgunj and on a bus to Kathmandu. She stayed in the capital for three nights before the group departed for Syabrubesi, a mountain settlement 122 km north of Kathmandu that serves as a gateway to the trekking hub of Langtang. The 12‑hour drive was disrupted by a landslide that blocked the route for about four hours; the army cleared the road, and the group continued.

On the morning of 26 August, after completing Nepal immigration formalities, the group was expected to cross the border on foot to the Chinese immigration facility in Gyirong. Bhattacharya believes his wife may have been inside or near the Chinese immigration building when the disaster struck. He noted that connectivity issues were expected on the Tibet side, but the last message was received before any such problems were reported.

At around 15:00 p.m., news of flash floods began to appear in the media. Bhattacharya called members of the group, the tour operator, and the two managers accompanying the pilgrims, but received no answers. He has since requested a list from the Chinese government of missing, dead, and rescued individuals, stating that his wife and the others may have already crossed into Chinese territory before the floods.

The floods have devastated the Himalayan border region, with a death toll that has risen to 475 after more than 48 hours. The Nepal government’s official list now records 537 missing people, including Chakraborty and her group. The Kolkata‑based tour operator has said it has no information on the fate of the group.

Rina Banerjee, a 54‑year‑old private tutor from Kolkata who was travelling alone with the same pilgrimage group, also went missing. She had previously travelled in the hills and was an experienced trekker. Like Chakraborty, Banerjee had cleared Nepal immigration and was believed to have crossed the border, but her family has received no further information.

Both women were part of a pilgrimage that resumed last year after being disrupted by the pandemic and by tensions between India and China. Thousands of Indians have made the journey to Mount Kailash for years, and the current disaster has left many families waiting with unanswered questions about whether their loved ones reached the Chinese side of the border or were caught in the sudden deluge.

Bhattacharya remains in contact with authorities, hoping for any update that could clarify whether his wife and the rest of the group survived the floods. The situation remains uncertain, with families and officials waiting for confirmation from Chinese authorities on the status of the missing pilgrims.