At least 290 Indian pilgrims have gone missing near the Nepal-Tibet (China) border following sudden flash floods and severe landslides during their Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. According to official lists released by the Nepalese government, the total number of missing persons across the affected region has reached 537.
Among those missing are Subhashree Chakraborty (43), a medical technologist from Kolkata, and Reena Banerjee (54), a private tutor. Subhashree had left Kolkata on August 21 along with a 30-member group, reaching Syabrubesi—a key transit gateway near the border—via Kathmandu on August 25.
On Wednesday (August 26, 2026), at 7:57 AM, Subhashree sent a photo of her passport with the Nepal immigration departure stamp to her husband, Sudipto Bhattacharya. At 8:03 AM, she sent her final message: “We are waiting to enter China.” Within hours of that text, catastrophic flash floods and landslides struck the border zone, severing all communication. The family of Reena Banerjee, a member of the same group, remains in deep anxiety, as it stays unclear whether the group was stranded on the Nepalese side or had crossed into Tibet via China’s Kyirong immigration checkpoint. Attempts to contact the tour operators have failed as phone lines remain down.
Extensive damage to telecom infrastructure and mountain roads has significantly hindered rescue operations and slowed down official data collection.
Anxious families have urged both the Nepalese and Chinese governments to publish verified lists of rescued individuals, casualties, and those currently missing without delay.
