Supermodel Petra Nemcova recalls 'split seconds' before she almost died in 2004 tsunami

Petra Nemcova recalled the "split seconds" earlier the 2004 tsunami successful Thailand changed her beingness forever.

Nemcova, present 45, had been vacationing during the Christmas vacation with her then-boyfriend and lensman Simon Atlee in Thailand erstwhile a 9.5-magnitude earthquake disconnected the seashore of Indonesia caused the world's worst tsunami. The supermodel had been packing connected Dec. 26, 2004, aft spending a peaceful greeting with Atlee connected the past time of their vacation.

However, with 2 hours near until the 2 would caput to the airport, screams from guests astatine the excavation startled Nemcova.

"Everything happened successful divided seconds," she told People magazine. "I looked up to spot frantic question and radical jumping and past successful the adjacent second, the question is crashing into the bungalow and breaking each of the solid windows."

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Petra Nemcova recalled surviving the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami successful a caller interview. (Edward Berthelot/Getty Images)

Nemcova recalled her past infinitesimal with Atlee arsenic shards of solid chopped into her.

"I heard Simon screaming my name, and it was the past clip I heard him."

The exemplary tried to clasp connected but yet "let go."

"At immoderate point, I couldn't respire anymore. And I thought, 'That's it.' That's my past moment. And I fto go. And actually, it was the astir blissful infinitesimal of my life," Nemcova explained.

"And then, by immoderate miracle, I was capable to spot entity again."

Nemcova instinctively grabbed onto a thenar tree, wherever she clung for "an incredibly agelong 8 hours" with a breached pelvis.

She couldn't consciousness oregon determination her legs astatine the clip arsenic she listened to the screams of children.

"Half an hr later, I couldn't perceive them anymore," Nemcova told People. "And that meant that they couldn't clasp on. I couldn’t aquatics retired [to them] due to the fact that I was trapped by debris. That day, I couldn’t help. I had nary choice."

Petra Nemcova's boyfriend, Simon Atlee, did not past the tsunami. (Jim Spellman/WireImage)

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The 2004 tsunami killed much than 200,000 people. Nemcova survived by clinging to a thenar histrion for "an incredibly agelong 8 hours" with a breached pelvis. (Gisela Schober/Getty Images)

After surviving, Nemcova acceptable retired to springiness back. 

She created the Happy Hearts Fund successful 2005 arsenic a mode to rebuild schools successful areas deed by earthy disaster.

"Hearing children screaming for assistance and not being capable to assistance them, that leaves specified a almighty mark," Nemcova explained. "Today and each day, I person a prime to help." 

Since 2005, Happy Hearts Fund has grown into All Hands and Hearts.

The enactment volition get successful areas astir to beryllium affected by earthy disasters to assistance hole and past rebuild homes and schools successful the aftermath, according to People magazine.

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Petra Nemcova traveled backmost to Thailand successful 2005. (R. Born/WireImage)

Nemcova traveled backmost to Thailand successful 2005 to grant Atlee. The supermodel besides chose to look her fearfulness of the h2o caput connected by scuba diving during the trip.

"I went nether the water, and I was panicking," Nemcova recalled to the outlet. "My bosom was going truthful fast, and I conscionable couldn't adjacent respire properly, but it's precise important not to unrecorded successful a beingness of immoderate fear. That's wherefore I did it."

She admitted it took a fewer years for "the sounds of thenar leaves crashing onto the extortion of a edifice oregon a bungalow" to not reignite her memories.

"And past it mislaid powerfulness implicit me," Nemcova explained. "If you admit the acquisition of air, if you admit the quality to determination your legs, everything other is overmuch richer. Your beingness is happier. You’re surviving alternatively of conscionable surviving."

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