Nepal Headmaster Saves 1,643 Children Minutes Before School Is Swept Away By Flash Floods; Internet Salutes Him
The school bell that morning was not a call to class. It was a warning to run. Within minutes, 1,643 children at Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nepal’s Nuwakot district were being moved towards higher ground as a devastating flash flood tore through the valley. By the time the waters surged through the area, the three-storey school building was gone. At the centre of the dramatic…
On a Wednesday morning, the school bell rang at Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, but it was not a call to class. Instead, it was a warning to run as a devastating flash flood threatened to sweep through the valley. Principal Rajendra Dawadi, a 47-year-old English teacher, had only minutes to decide whether the school was safe.
Initially, Dawadi believed the concrete building was protected as it stood around 60 metres above the river and was level with a steel bridge. However, a friend called him with a terrifying warning about the impending flash floods. Dawadi’s quick thinking and decisive leadership saved the lives of 1,643 children at the school. After the evacuation, the school was destroyed by the floodwaters, leaving only the mud and debris.
Two school staff members, Santos Pariyar and Sultan Lama, sadly lost their lives in the disaster. Despite being hailed as a hero, Dawadi remained humble, stating that he had no other choice but to act. His friend from upstream had warned him about the approaching flood, and Dawadi’s immediate action ensured the safe evacuation of the children.
The flash flood was triggered by a massive collapse of ice and rock from the Langtang Lirung area near the Tibet border, which plunged into the Lhende Khola river and swept away buildings, bridges, and vast amounts of debris. The death toll from the disaster stands at 734, with 2,498 people still missing, including 16 people in Tibet and 546 still unaccounted for.
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