From Malaysia to Flood-Ravaged Nepal: A Father’s Desperate Search for His Wife, Three Children and Four Relatives
Subindra Nagarkoti’s wife, 4-year-old son and 2-year-old twin sons remain missing after the flood swept away their home in Betrabati, Nuwakot, Nepal.
NUWAKOT, Nepal — When Subindra Nagarkoti, a Nuwakot native working in Malaysia, learned that flooding in Nepal had swept away his entire family, he initially could not believe it.
His wife, Manmaya Tamang; their 4-year-old eldest son, Aviral Nagarkoti; 2-year-old twin sons, Ayan Nagarkoti and Aman Nagarkoti; his sister-in-law, Maya Sherpa; and his nieces and nephew, Furma Nagarkoti, Nhima Gyalbo Nagarkoti and Simran Nagarkoti, are all missing.
A sudden, destructive flood that came from the China-Nepal border on the morning of Aug. 26, 2026, swept away their home in the Betrawati area of Nuwakot, leaving no trace of it.
Nagarkoti works for Micron in Malaysia. His wife and three sons had been living in Betrawati with Sherpa and her three children. All eight have been out of contact since the flooding.
After hearing the news, Nagarkoti took emergency leave from his company on Aug. 27 and returned to Nepal. Since then, he has spent his days searching for his missing family.
“I still have not found any trace of anyone. The house was completely swept away,” Nagarkoti said emotionally.
No Trace of Home
Nagarkoti said the family had bought land near a petrol station in Betrawati and built a house there. But when he arrived at the site after returning from Malaysia, nothing remained.
“I went there as soon as I landed in Nepal, but there was nothing left,” he said. “A river is now flowing where the house used to be. Everything has been destroyed.”
He said he does not know whether his family members are alive or dead.
“There is no information about them. We have not even found any sign of their bodies,” he said.
His eldest son had turned 4 only two days before the flood.
A Birthday Message Before Disaster
From Malaysia, Nagarkoti had posted an emotional birthday message for Aviral on social media.
“You are my first joy, my pride and the most precious gift of my life,” he wrote. “Today is not only your birthday for me. It is the day I experienced the greatest happiness of my life by bringing you into this world. You are not only my eldest son; you are my priceless happiness and my pride. … Your father will be with you in every moment of happiness.”
He said he never imagined that such a disaster would strike just two days after he shared the message.
In April, on the twins’ first birthday, he posted a photo and wrote that he hoped sorrow would struggle to enter their lives, while happiness would continue to arrive. He wished them so much joy that it could never be exhausted, even if shared, and described their names, Ayan and Aman, as precious as a gift from God.
Final Call With His Wife
Nagarkoti spoke with his wife for the last time before the flooding. He said he called her after returning to his room from work at about 7:15 p.m. Malaysia time, or about 5 p.m. in Nepal.
At first, she did not answer. She picked up only after he called repeatedly.
“I asked her what she was doing and whether she was sick,” Nagarkoti said, recalling the conversation. “She spoke as if she was not feeling well. I told her to rest and take care of the children.”
“That became our final conversation,” he said.
He tried calling again many times afterward, but could not reach her.
“I never thought anything like that could happen,” he said. “If I had known, I might have warned them to be careful. I was abroad and had no idea what was happening.”
Nagarkoti had recently returned to Malaysia after spending three months on leave in Nepal. Soon after arriving, he learned about the flood and had to take emergency leave again to return home.
Several days after his return, he still has no news of his family.
“Nothing is known yet,” he said. “They have not been found alive, and their bodies have not been found either.”
Searching Rescue Lists
Nagarkoti has appealed for help on social media, posting photographs of his wife, sons, sister-in-law, nieces and nephew. He also made his phone number public and asked anyone who sees or finds them to contact him.
So far, he said, no positive news has come.
Since returning to Nepal, Nagarkoti has spent much of his time at Nepal Army camps and rescue sites, hoping to find his relatives’ names on lists of people rescued from the flood.
“It has been three or four days since I arrived, and I have been walking around all day,” he said. “Every day, I go to the army camp and check the names of those who have been rescued. But I do not find their names anywhere.”
His elderly mother is safe in their village. His father died previously, and his mother had been living in the village, caring for livestock.
But with the family living in the city suddenly missing, Nagarkoti said he remains shocked and uncertain.
“My family is gone,” he said. “I do not even know whether I will survive tomorrow. I do not know what to do.”
“For now, I am living only by looking at my mother’s face in the village,” he said. “I cannot even think about what will happen next.”
This coverage was made possible by a grant from URL Collective, a nonprofit supporting local, diverse media.