Husband Reveals Wife’s Heartbreaking Final Words Before She Disappeared in Nepal Floods

Pramod Poudel never imagined that an early call from his recently married wife would become their final conversation. Only hours afterward, a violent mass of water, ice, and mud ripped through her village in Nepal, leaving her and three other members of his family missing.

On Aug. 26, a devastating flood struck settlements near the Nepal-Tibet frontier. Powerful streams of water, frozen debris, and earth raced through valleys beneath the Himalayas.

Bridges and roads were torn away, houses disappeared, and whole communities were smothered beneath heavy mud. The damage also isolated places that rescue crews already found extremely difficult to access.

The magnitude of the catastrophe has kept increasing. Thousands of families remain desperate for information while search teams attempt to reach settlements cut off by the destruction.

A glacial avalanche

The first indication of the tremendous force released that morning was detected by the U.S. Geological Survey. Its instruments initially identified the event as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake.

Investigators later concluded that the seismic signal had actually come from a glacier collapse and the resulting debris flow, which unleashed disastrous consequences farther downstream.

CNN reported that the wave of rock, ice, and water covered almost 14 miles in under seven minutes. Communities lying in its path had almost no opportunity to get away.

The threat may still be continuing.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, also known as ICIMOD, cautioned that debris dams obstructing rivers might produce additional flooding over the following days.

By Aug. 31, Nepalese authorities reported that more than 4,200 people remained unaccounted for. Across Nepal and Tibet together, the toll had reached 919 people confirmed dead and another 4,793 missing.

Pramod “Pedro” Poudel is among the countless relatives enduring that unbearable uncertainty. He crossed thousands of miles in an effort to find those closest to him.

“My family needs me”

Poudel, 34, grew up in the Nepalese community of Sole. At 18, he relocated to the UK. He now makes his home in Uckfield, East Sussex, where he operates the MoMo Nepalese Street Food truck.

Writing on the food truck’s Facebook page, he announced with profound sorrow that four relatives had disappeared after Nepal’s destructive flash floods: his cherished mother, his wife, his brother, and his uncle.

His missing wife, Sumitra, is 25. Also unaccounted for are his mother Tulisa, 52; his brother Pardip, 31; and his uncle Madhav, 64. The flood destroyed roughly 90% of their village.

Poudel told the BBC that nothing was left in the place where his relatives had lived. Faced with that reality, he felt he had no alternative but to travel back to the nation where he was born.

He described the moment as extraordinarily painful for himself, his family, and his country. Despite the anguish, he said he needed to return, understand what was happening, and be present because his family required him.

“An extremely difficult time”

Simply getting close to them, however, has become a formidable ordeal.

Poudel told the BBC that no one could say what had happened. Many people were missing, but reliable information about their identities or locations was unavailable. Communication had broken down, and the destruction of every bridge made crossing the area by land impossible.

With electrical power gone, he could not reach anyone. He explained that being left without any knowledge of events made an already terrible situation even harder.

Poudel departed for Nepal on Aug. 28. By the following day, he was moving toward the ruins of his small home village to begin looking for his missing relatives.

“Emotionally shattered”

Once he reached Nepal, Poudel said the disaster had utterly devastated his family and broken him emotionally.

In his BBC interview, he explained that road travel had become extremely difficult and, in certain locations, completely impossible. He needed to enter inaccessible districts where people were still waiting desperately for help.

Even in those circumstances, Poudel has not given up hope.

His last exchange with his wife took place at 4.15 a.m. UK time, shortly before the flood overwhelmed the region. Sumitra then vanished with the other members of his family.

“I love you so much”

Several days later, Poudel remembered that last call with Sumitra. Following their June wedding, she had remained with his relatives in Sole while he went back to the UK to continue working.

Speaking to The Sun on Aug. 30, he recalled that Sumitra first asked how he was and then told him how deeply she loved him.

He has received no word from her since.

Poudel said the silence was devastating and that he could hardly put his current emotions into words. He was intensely worried for Sumitra and every member of his family. He worked tirelessly on their behalf, he explained, because they represented his entire world.

Although he continues to believe they may be found, he is also turning to God in prayer.

Before sharing this account, please send your kindest wishes to the families across Nepal who are still anxiously waiting for news of the people they love.