Pramod Poudel had no idea that an early-morning phone call with his new wife would be their last – but hours later, a wall of water, ice and mud tore through her Nepalese village, leaving her and three members of his family missing.
On Aug. 26, a catastrophic flood tore through communities along the Nepal-Tibet border, sending torrents of water, ice and debris surging through valleys below the Himalayas.
Roads and bridges were ripped apart, homes were swept away and entire communities were left buried beneath thick layers of mud as the flood cut off areas already difficult for rescuers to reach.
The scale of the disaster has continued to grow, with thousands of families waiting for news as search teams struggle to reach communities isolated by the destruction.
Glacial avalanche
The first clue to the enormous force unleashed that morning came from the U.S. Geological Survey, which initially registered the event as a magnitude 4.4 earthquake. It later determined that the seismic activity had instead been caused by a glacial collapse and debris flow that triggered catastrophic impacts downstream.
The resulting surge of water, ice and rock travelled nearly 14 miles in less than seven minutes, according to CNN, giving communities in its path little time to escape.
And the danger may not be over. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) has warned that debris blocking river systems could lead to further flooding in the coming days.
As of Aug. 31, authorities in Nepal said more than 4,200 people were unaccounted for, while the combined toll from Nepal and Tibet had climbed to 919 dead and 4,793 missing.
Among the thousands of families trapped in that agonizing uncertainty is Pramod “Pedro” Poudel, who traveled thousands of miles in search of the people he loves most.
‘My family needs me’
Poudel, 34, was born and raised in the Nepalese village of Sole before moving to the UK at 18. He now lives in Uckfield, East Sussex, where he runs the MoMo Nepalese Street Food truck.
“It is with a very heavy heart that I share that four members of my family have gone missing following the devastating flash floods in Nepal – including my beloved mother, my wife, my brother, and my uncle,” Poudel wrote on his truck’s Facebook site.
His wife Sumitra, 25, is missing along with his 52-year-old mother Tulisa, brother Pardip, 31, and uncle Madhav, 64, after the flood swept away 90% of their village.
Poudel told the BBC that “nothing remains” where his family lived, leaving him with little choice but to return to the country of his birth.
“It’s a very, very difficult time for me and for my family and my country at this moment, but obviously I have to go and see what’s happening there,” he said, adding, “My family needs me.”
‘A very difficult time’
But simply reaching them has become an enormous challenge.
“Nobody knows what happened,” Poudel told the outlet. “Obviously a lot of people are missing and there is no information regarding who is missing, where they are, nobody can contact each other and all the bridges are broken, so you can’t cross the land.
“There’s no power, no electricity, so I can’t contact anyone, so it’s a very difficult time not knowing what’s happening.”
Poudel flew to Nepal on Aug. 28, and by the next day, he was making his way toward what remained of his small village to search for his missing family.
‘Emotionally shattered’
After arriving in Nepal, Poudel said the disaster had “completely devastated his family” and left him “emotionally shattered.”
“It is making it extremely difficult and, in some areas, impossible to travel by road,” Poudel said in his interview with BBC.
“I need to reach areas that are currently inaccessible and where people are still desperately waiting for assistance.”
Yet Poudel refuses to surrender hope.
The last time Poudel spoke with his wife was at 4.15 a.m. (UK time), shortly before the flood swept through the region and Sumitra disappeared along with the rest of his family.
‘I love you so much’
Days later, he recalled the final conversation he had with Sumitra, who stayed with his family in Sole following their June wedding, while he returned to the UK for work.
“When I last spoke to her, she said to me, ‘How are you? I love you so much,’” Poudel told The Sun on Aug. 30.
“I have not had contact with her since then. It’s devastating – I don’t even know how to explain how I’m feeling right now. I’m so worried about her, and all my family. I work so hard for them and they are my whole world.
“I’m very hopeful of finding them but I’m also praying to God.”
Before passing this story along, please share your best wishes for families who are desperately waiting to hear from loved ones in Nepal.
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