Principal evacuates school, saving hundreds as Nepal floods devastate region
Principal Rajendra Dawadi ordered the evacuation of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School, preventing the loss of at least 900 students when flash floods destroyed the campus in Nepal's Trishuli Valley.
BIDUR, Nepal — When flood warnings reached Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in the Trishuli Valley, principal Rajendra Dawadi sounded the school bell and directed students and staff to move to higher ground. The decision came after a colleague warned of rapidly rising waters and a parent arrived to collect a child.
Dawadi said he "immediately decided to stop school and get the children out." He escorted the evacuees to a nearby hill as floodwaters surged behind them, eventually engulfing the school building in water, mud and debris. Two staff members remain missing.
The evacuation is credited with saving at least 900 students out of the 1,643 enrolled at the school. Dawadi also halted incoming buses; one driver turned the vehicle around before a nearby bridge collapsed.
The flash floods, triggered by a glacial collapse, have killed more than 900 people across Nepal and China and left over 4,700 missing. In northern Nepal, the disaster has destroyed at least 69 schools, threatening the education of nearly 19,000 students, according to Save the Children.
Students expressed gratitude for the evacuation, and parents thanked Dawadi for protecting their children. Dawadi emphasized that the priority now is to provide psychological support for students and to rebuild schools so classes can resume, even if temporary facilities are needed.
The incident highlights the broader impact of the floods on Nepal's education system, as authorities and aid groups work to restore schooling for displaced children.