Key facts
- Massive floods in Nepal and China's Tibet region have resulted in at least 168 deaths and nearly 1,300 people missing.
- Over 100 of the missing individuals were on a pilgrimage to Mount Kailash, a sacred site.
- Mount Kailash is a significant religious site for Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and the Tibetan Bon tradition.
- The disaster was triggered by a glacier collapse, with similar events linked to rising global temperatures.
- Hundreds of foreigners, including many Indians, were among those missing.
Massive floods in a border region between Nepal and China's Tibet have resulted in at least 168 deaths and nearly 1,300 people missing, with a significant number of those unaccounted for being pilgrims en route to Mount Kailash. The disaster, which followed a glacier collapse, underscores the growing vulnerability of the Himalayan region to climate change.
Mount Kailash, a peak in southwestern Tibet, is revered across multiple religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and the Tibetan Bon tradition. It is considered the abode of Hindu deities Shiva and Parvati, a seat of spiritual power for Bon followers, and is associated with the mythical Mount Meru in Hindu and Buddhist cosmology. The mountain and nearby Lake Manasarovar are central to ancient religious and literary traditions.
Pilgrims typically undertake a purification ritual by circumambulating Mount Kailash, a circuit of approximately 53 kilometers (33 miles) that can take three days. Hindus and Buddhists traditionally walk clockwise, while Bon followers go counterclockwise. Some Hindu pilgrims also bathe in Lake Manasarovar for spiritual cleansing. The journey involves visiting monasteries and sacred sites, with various rituals performed to test a pilgrim's spiritual standing.
Authorities reported that among the hundreds of missing were 179 Indian nationals, 65 from the United States, 35 from Australia, 33 from Britain, and 25 from Canada, with most believed to be on pilgrimage. Spiritual leader Jaggi Vasudev, known as Sadhguru, stated that 77 individuals returning from the mountain with his Isha Foundation were at a Tibetan immigration center when the floods struck. The floods were a consequence of a glacier collapse, a phenomenon increasingly linked to rising global temperatures destabilizing Himalayan ice.