Nepali Teacher Evacuates 1,600 Students Minutes Before School Is Swept Away by Floods

A quick evacuation decision by a school principal saved roughly 1,600 students in Nepal shortly before severe floodwaters completely destroyed their school building. Rajendra Dawadi, the head teacher at Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nuwakot, ordered the immediate evacuation of the campus roughly 10 minutes before the deluge arrived, following warnings from local callers and a concerned parent.

Quick Thinking Prevents Tragedy

Dawadi explained that a parent arrived at the school to collect his daughter after hearing that a massive flood was approaching. Recognizing the urgency, Dawadi prioritized student safety over class time and ordered everyone to evacuate immediately. Shortly after the evacuation, the floods wiped out the entire three-storey school building, which had stood near a temple and local market in the Trishuli area.

Similar quick actions saved lives at other institutions, including the Shree Bagheswori Madhyamik School in Galchhi, Dhading district. Some students survived because they were on a lunch break, while teachers ordered others to leave their bags and lunch boxes behind and flee to higher ground. Families have since returned to the mud-filled classrooms to search through piles of sediment to salvage backpacks, notebooks, and personal items.

Widespread Damage and Growing Casualties

Torrential rains have caused severe flash flooding and landslides across Nepal. According to Nepal police figures, the disaster has killed at least 794 people, with more than 2,500 individuals still unaccounted for. In neighboring Tibet, Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing people in Gyirong County.

The non-profit organization Save the Children reported that at least 69 schools across affected districts have been destroyed or damaged, impacting education for nearly 19,000 children. In response to the crisis, the Nepalese government ordered a three-day closure of schools and universities. With ongoing flood warnings instructing residents to move to safer areas, official dates for resuming classes remain uncertain.