Nepal Teacher Evacuated 900 Students Before Glacial Surge Wiped Out School
When floodwaters began surging down the Trishuli Valley on Aug. 26, Rajendra Dawadi was inside Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Bidur, Nepal. A colleague ran into his classroom with an initial warning. Moments later, another teacher received a frantic phone call, and a parent arrived to take her child home. The danger had not been […]
Nepal's Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School evacuated 900 of its 1,643 students due to a glacial collapse in the Himalayas causing rapid flooding. The disaster unfolded when a glacial collapse sent ice, rock and water into mountain waterways, resulting in destructive flash floods downstream on August 26. Rajendra Dawadi, a former student and principal of the school, received initial warnings from a colleague and a frantic phone call from another teacher.
Dawadi then ordered students and staff to evacuate the campus, as the danger was confirmed. He also directed school bus drivers to halt their routes and keep children away from the school. Within minutes, water, mud, boulders, and debris swept through the area, destroying the school within 30 minutes as the flood rose by 30 feet.
Two staff members remain missing. Students described a chaotic escape, with some surviving by seconds. The school itself could not be saved, as it stood between the Trishuli River and a hydropower canal. The disaster struck a personal chord for Dawadi, who spent his childhood at the school. Over 950 people have died, with over 4,400 still missing in Nepal and Tibet.
Rescue teams faced damaged roads, landslides, and destroyed bridges. Over 69 schools were destroyed or damaged, putting the education of nearly 19,000 children at risk. Dawadi is now pressing authorities to relocate the school to safer ground and ensure mental health support for the affected students.
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