Head Teacher Evacuates 900 Children Minutes Before Nepal School Is Swept Away

NUWAKOT, NEPAL — A head teacher in flood-hit Nepal says a decision made within minutes may have saved the lives of hundreds of schoolchildren after he ordered the evacuation of around 900 pupils shortly before powerful floodwaters swept through the area.

Rajendra Dawadi, head teacher of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nuwakot, said he received a series of urgent warnings from different people indicating that dangerous flooding was approaching.

The school has a total student population of more than 1,600.

According to the BBC, Dawadi received four separate warnings within a short period, including reports that floodwaters had already swept through the upstream settlement of Betrawati.

Faced with the rapidly developing situation, he decided not to wait.

"I decided I shouldn't delay any more. Even if the flood was not coming, it was just a matter of a single day's classes," Dawadi told the BBC.

A Decision Made Just in Time

Around 900 students were moved towards higher ground as concerns grew about the approaching floodwaters.

During the evacuation, Dawadi said he witnessed the scale of the disaster unfolding before him. A hostel building located approximately 100 metres from the river was engulfed by the floodwaters.

The school and surrounding areas were subsequently devastated by the flooding.

Dawadi believes that even a short delay could have resulted in a far more serious tragedy.

"If we had made the decision 10 minutes later, all of us, including the students and me, would not be able to speak to you today," he told the BBC.

Flood Disaster Ravages Nepal

The dramatic evacuation came amid devastating floods and landslides that have struck parts of Nepal, causing widespread destruction across several districts.

Entire communities have been affected, while roads, bridges, homes and public infrastructure have been damaged or destroyed by powerful floodwaters and landslides.

The events in Nuwakot have highlighted the critical importance of early warnings and rapid decision-making during sudden natural disasters.

For hundreds of children at Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School, a head teacher's decision to suspend classes and move students to higher ground appears to have made the difference between safety and catastrophe.