Principal evacuates 900 students before Nepal flash flood destroys school

A school in the Trishuli Valley was emptied just before floodwaters surged, preventing a large loss of life. Principal Rajendra Dawadi heard warnings of rising water and promptly rang the bell, directing students, staff and bus drivers to move to higher ground.

The evacuation saved at least 900 pupils from the Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School, which later was engulfed by water, mud and debris after a glacial collapse triggered flash floods across Nepal and China. Two school employees remain missing.

Dawadi, who attended and taught at the school, said he acted immediately to stop classes and get the children out. He also instructed a bus that had arrived to turn back; the bridge it crossed collapsed shortly thereafter.

The disaster has damaged dozens of schools in northern Nepal, displacing thousands of students. Save the Children reported that 69 schools were completely destroyed, affecting nearly 19,000 learners.

"I have no words. I got education from that school. And I gave education at that school," Dawadi said.

Parents thanked Dawadi after the flood, and a student expressed gratitude for his actions. Dawadi declined to be called a hero, emphasizing his duty to protect the children and calling for psychological support and rapid rebuilding of schools so classes can resume.

"Their parents hugged me, they cried with me," he recalled.

The incident highlights the broader challenge of restoring education after the natural disaster.