{
  "id": 10862271,
  "title": "'Remembering our students with every breath': Nepal teachers mourn flood victims",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/remembering-our-students-with-every-breath-nepal-teachers-mourn-flood",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T05:05:59.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/world/world/2026/09/1544497/remembering-our-students-every-breath-nepal-teachers-mourn-flood"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In Rasuwa, Nepal, teachers are experiencing a somber reality as they record the names of missing students in red during morning roll calls following a devastating flood. Triggered by a glacial collapse near the China-Nepal border, the catastrophe resulted in over 1,400 deaths, with more than 5,000 still unaccounted for in the Himalayan nation one month after the event. At Neelakantha Secondary School, a teacher circled the names of 70 students and four teachers who perished when floodwaters swept through the region on August 26.\n\nPrincipal Madhav Lamichhane reported that most families in the area have lost someone to the disaster, making the grief shared among the community. Neelakantha lost 70 students and four teachers; Rama Paudel, a 36-year-old teacher, expressed profound sadness over the premature loss of young lives.\n\nThe flood destroyed around 18 schools, with recovery costs estimated at up to US$15.47 million, marking the most challenging period the education sector has faced. According to UNICEF, learning has been disrupted for more than 14,000 children at 62 schools and centers in the affected area. Education is crucial for children's recovery, offering stability and hope amidst loss and uncertainty.\n\nHowever, only about half of Neelakantha's 508 students have returned to classes since lessons resumed two weeks ago. Many students are unable to reach the school due to washed-out bridges and roads. Some classrooms have been converted into relief distribution centers, highlighting the difficulties in restoring normalcy. While relief supplies reach survivors, teachers note that psychological scars may be more challenging to heal than physical damage.\n\nTeacher Shiva Ram Bhatta emphasized the emotional toll on students, emphasizing the ongoing struggle to focus after a month of grief. Relief efforts are underway, but the next phase of recovery requires more than food and shelter, with a pressing need for psychosocial therapy and a lasting solution to help children feel normal again.",
  "summary": "RASUWA, Nepal: Each morning at a school in flood-ravaged Nepal, teachers taking attendance are served a painful reminder of the disaster as they mark in red the names of students who never came back.",
  "key_points": [
    "Teachers record missing student names in red during roll calls.",
    "Over 1,400 deaths recorded, 5,000 still unaccounted for.",
    "70 students and 4 teachers lost at Neelakantha Secondary School."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The disaster has plunged Nepal's education sector into a protracted crisis, with emotional trauma and logistical hurdles likely to impede students' recovery and return to normal learning.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "IOL",
        "title": "In Nepal's flood zone, teachers mourn students who never returned",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/in-nepals-flood-zone-teachers-mourn-students-who-never-returned",
        "published": "2026-09-30T06:00:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}