Schoolchildren Survive Nepal Floods After Teachers Prompt Lunch-Break Evacuation

In Dhading district, Nepal, a group of schoolchildren avoided the worst of Wednesday's flash floods after teachers instructed them to leave their classrooms for a lunch break. The timely evacuation allowed the students to escape as floodwaters surged into the school building.

Parents who returned to the school on Sunday described the damage: mud covered benches, walls and notebooks, and the courtyard was filled with sediment. Despite the destruction, most children were reported safe, according to families on site.

"The teachers said, 'There is a flood and you should leave bags and tiffins,'" said Lakshmi Shrestha, whose child attended the school. Another mother, Kopila Mizar, expressed relief that her son survived, adding, "My son is alive, that is my biggest happiness."

Save the Children estimates that at least 69 schools in the flood-hit districts have been destroyed or damaged, threatening education for nearly 19,000 students. The government ordered a three-day closure of schools and universities, and university exams were paused. Ongoing flood warnings advise residents to move to higher ground, leaving the timeline for resuming classes uncertain.

The national disaster agency reported the death toll rising to 788 with 2,502 people missing. Across the border, Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing. Hundreds of foreign nationals, including many Nepalis, are among the missing who were in the region for work, tourism or pilgrimage.