Sadhguru, Tibet’s spiritual leader, has appealed to the government for permission to enter Gyirong as efforts to locate around 80 pilgrims who are missing after devastating flash floods hit the Nepal-Tibet border region continue. He appealed in a time of high-stress and rapidly changing rescue efforts with heavy flooding, damaged infrastructure and challenging terrain making it hard to find people through the disaster.
Sadhguru’s organisation is seeking access to the affected area so that it can work with the missing pilgrims and assist in the search and rescue operation. “It’s very difficult for families and rescue teams to find the stranded people who were traveling through the remote border region when the floods struck,” said Sadhguru.
The situation has been particularly concerning because the affected areas are mountainous areas where communication and transportation can be severely disrupted by natural disasters. Roads may be blocked, bridges may be destroyed and landslides can isolate settlements and travelling groups further. Such situations can make it so difficult for the authorities and relief organisations to determine how many people are stranded or missing.
The reported disappearance of around 80 pilgrims has added urgency to the humanitarian response. Families waiting for news are at risk as teams from disaster relief agencies are trying to find out as much as they can about where people have been evacuated and what they’ve lost in the flooding.
Sadhguru’s plea to access Gyirong is emblematic of the wider problem of coordinating humanitarian operations across an international border region. And though rescue agencies and authorities are working to respond to the disaster, access to affected areas can be a matter of permissions, security concerns and the condition of roads and other infrastructure.
The floods have badly damaged areas of northern Nepal and the neighbouring areas of Tibet. There is a death toll of more than 150 people reported, and many others remain missing. The disaster has led to rescue and relief efforts by the authorities, local communities, and organizations that are trying to help those affected.
India also closely watches the situation, particularly regarding Indian citizens travelling to the affected area. Authorities have been working to trace people who may be stranded or unaccounted for while coordinating assistance for those who have managed to reach safer locations.
The remoteness of the area continues to be one of the major obstacles for the search efforts. Flash floods can rapidly change river channels and sweep away vehicles, buildings and other structures, and search and rescue efforts are particularly tricky when these flood waters get torrential. Debris, mudslides and damaged roads can make it difficult to get to the likely location when the water level starts to fall.
Sadhguru's Appeal to the Authorities & Administration. pic.twitter.com/wKu89gtdnU
— Sadhguru (@SadhguruJV) August 27, 2026
For families of the missing pilgrims, the priority remains getting reliable information about their loved ones. Rescue teams will need to combine ground searches, information from survivors and local residents, communications records and other available evidence to establish where missing groups may have been when the floods occurred.
Sadhguru’s application for permission to go to Gyirong underlines the necessity of international and cross-border cooperation in the event of a major natural disaster. In places where access is limited or difficult, cooperation between governments, local authorities and humanitarian organisations will be important in the way that search and relief is conducted to find the people who need it most.
The focus on rescue operations is still on finding survivors, accounting for missing pilgrims, and providing medical and humanitarian support to people affected by the floods. The full impact of the disaster is expected to become clearer as authorities gain access to more affected areas.
Today, the reported disappearance of about 80 pilgrims is still very worrying. Sadhguru’s request that Gyirong be reopened is to enable search and rescue to move forward at a time when families are anxiously awaiting news and rescue teams are still dealing with the enormous challenges brought by the floods.
