- Rajendra Dawadi, headteacher at Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School, received four urgent calls at 9:10 am warning him about impending floods.
- By 9:20 am, there were 900 children already at the school, with another 700 on their way by foot and bus.
- After receiving a warning from a parent about the rapidly rising water, Dawadi rang the bell to evacuate the classrooms.
- Dawadi contacted bus drivers to turn back, successfully getting all but one to return; that bus crossed the bridge just before it collapsed.
- As staff and children ran uphill to safety, two staff members were tragically left behind and were taken by the flood.
- The school building was buried under mud and debris, leaving students and teachers stranded for two nights before rescue efforts reached them.
- Eventually, Dawadi and a student were airlifted back to their home village after the disaster.
- The catastrophic floods and mudslides in Nepal have claimed the lives of more than 750 people and left around 3,000 missing, including 48 Brits.
- Dawadi emphasized that if they had delayed the evacuation by just 10 minutes, the outcome could have been fatal for everyone involved.
- Dawadi expressed pride in saving so many lives, stating, “I feel proud that we saved so many lives.”
In a heroic act, Rajendra Dawadi, head teacher of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School, evacuated 900 students just minutes before catastrophic flash floods hit the area, saving over 1,600 lives. Dawadi received urgent warnings at 9:10 AM and immediately rang the school bell to alert teachers and students.1
"If we didn't make a quick decision, if it was 10 minutes later, we all - including the students and me - wouldn't be able to speak to you today," Dawadi stated. The school, located nearly 200ft above the river, was still overwhelmed by the floodwaters, which engulfed a hostel building just 100m away.13
The floods have claimed at least 794 lives and left 2,426 people missing, with many still stranded due to disrupted transport. Dawadi's quick thinking allowed students and staff to escape to higher ground, with some fleeing through narrow escape routes behind the school.
"A parent came and told me that 'a big flood was coming,'" Dawadi recalled. He emphasized the need for better warning systems, stating, "Had I decided to close the school after the period, nothing might be left, only the bell would be ringing at 9:30."
The aftermath of the floods has left the school building buried under mud and debris, highlighting the urgent need for improved disaster preparedness in the region.89
“The floods, which have claimed at least 794 lives and left 2,426 missing, also took two staff members, including social teacher Santos Pariyar, 32. Dawadi credited a parent's warning for the quick evacuation, saying, "If we didn't make a quick decision... we all wouldn't be able to speak to you today."”
The Sun
