Nepali Principal’s Quick Action Saves 1,643 Children from Devastating Flood

Rajendra Dawadi, principal of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in the flood-hit Nuwakot district, received an emergency phone call at around 9:20am on Wednesday warning that a powerful flood was heading toward the school.

According to a report by The Times, Dawadi was initially confident that the school’s three-storey concrete building was safe. However, when a student’s father arrived at the school and warned that floodwaters were rising rapidly, the principal immediately ordered an evacuation.

He rang the school bell and instructed teachers to empty the classrooms. The children then ran with the staff toward higher ground. One girl became unwell during the evacuation and was taken to higher ground on a motorcycle.

Moments after the school had been completely evacuated, a powerful flood surge swept through the area, destroying the school building and several other structures in front of the children.

The principal’s quick response saved 1,643 students and teaching staff, although two people died amid the chaos. They included 32-year-old teacher Santosh Pariyar, who had gone to his rented room near the river to prepare breakfast, and school security guard Sultan Lama, who was swept away after returning to close the school gates.

Local residents have hailed Dawadi as a hero for saving hundreds of children from what could have been a major tragedy.

The devastating floods near the Nepal-China border have killed hundreds of people, while more than 3,000 remain missing. Experts have linked the disaster to a massive landslide caused by the collapse of ice and rocks into a river.

According to experts at the University of Calgary, the landslide covered an area of around 50 acres. The enormous mass fell from a height of about 1,200 metres into the river valley, triggering a torrent of water, mud and rocks that destroyed buildings, bridges and power infrastructure along its path.

The region is highly vulnerable to natural disasters. In April 2015, a 7.8-magnitude earthquake triggered a devastating avalanche in the area that killed around 300 local residents.