Return to Mumbai
Actor Manasi Parekh has returned to Mumbai after a difficult journey out of China and Nepal, following flash floods that struck the Gyirong Port area in Tibet and Nepal during her Kailash Mansarovar pilgrimage with Sadhguru's Isha Foundation. She shared details of her trip back home on social media, thanking fans and well-wishers for their messages, calls, and prayers. A viral airport video showed her becoming emotional as she reunited with her husband, singer Parthiv Gohil, and their daughter Nirvi.
In her Instagram posts, Parekh described the last three to four days as overwhelming. "Getting out of China and reaching the Nepal border felt like winning a war," she wrote, according to reports.
The Journey's Ordeal
Parekh recounted that a massive landslide in Nyalam, a town in China's Tibet Autonomous Region, left her and other pilgrims stranded in their bus for around four hours. Once the road was cleared, they continued by road towards Nepal, only to encounter another landslide at the Nepal border. "Then after a long bus ride of 40 miles we reached the border of Nepal where there had been another landslide which we had to walk through as there was no other way for us to make it till the buses waiting on the other side," she wrote.
The final leg to Kathmandu was no less challenging. She described it as "the bumpiest bus ride of our lives," lasting four hours. Despite the hardship, Parekh said the journey was worth it because it meant coming back to Mumbai, to her family, and getting to kiss her daughter.
Disaster's Broader Impact
The flash floods struck the Nepal-Tibet border region on August 26, triggering a massive surge of water and debris. Nepal's Rasuwa district was among the worst-hit areas, with Nuwakot and Dhading also affected downstream. Many important bridges and stretches of roads were damaged or washed away, while homes and other infrastructure were destroyed.
Earlier, Parekh had shared visuals of the flooding near Gyirong Port, a key border crossing. She noted that she was supposed to be at the same location the following morning. In another post, she shared a video from five days earlier showing her being welcomed at the same spot, writing, "I was literally welcomed at this spot 5 days ago. So warmly! And now the whole place is submerged."
Before her return, she had reassured followers that she was safe in China and expressed concern for those affected. "Life is uncertain, but what has happened is absolutely heartbreaking. We are constantly praying for the people affected by this tragedy," she wrote, adding that by God's grace, she and her group were safe and that the Isha Foundation was working to bring them home and locate people caught in the floods.
Official Figures and Rescue Efforts
Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Authority (NDRRMA) announced that as of 1 PM on Sunday, 2,502 individuals remain missing. Among them, 933 are workers from hydropower projects, 592 are foreign nationals, and 127 are Nepali citizens travelling with foreign groups. Authorities report 239 injured individuals, with six surgical medical teams deployed to the disaster zone. Unidentified bodies are being stored at 21 hospitals nationwide.
Nearly 20,000 security personnel have been deployed, leading to 8,730 total rescues by ground forces. Air crews conducted 363 helicopter flights, airlifting 3,081 people, including 236 foreigners, and rescuing 279 individuals directly from a flooded hydropower tunnel. The highest number of fatalities has been recorded in Chitwan with 264 deaths, followed by Nawalparasi East with 194, Nawalparasi West with 120, Gorkha with 58, Nuwakot with 52, Dhading with 50, Tanahun with 37, and Rasuwa with 13.
At least 77 pilgrims associated with the Isha Foundation were reported missing after the floods struck, when the group was reportedly at an immigration office as the disaster unfolded. Some families are still waiting for news of their loved ones.
Parekh's Reflection on the Pilgrimage
Earlier, Parekh had shared a post after reaching Mansarovar, describing the experience as deeply personal: "Sometimes, you just let the experience take over. Words almost feel like a violation." She recalled meditating on the banks of Mansarovar for 40 minutes. Her latest theatrical release is the Gujarati crime thriller 'Shubhchintak'.