Nepal Principal Evacuates 900 Students Before Flood Sweeps Away School

Rajendra Dawadi, principal of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nuwakot, Nepal, is being praised for saving hundreds of students from a devastating flood last week.

Dawadi evacuated around 900 students after a staff member alerted him to an imminent flood. He also instructed bus drivers who were on their way to school to reverse course. Dawadi had less than 15 minutes' warning before mud water swept through the school. The older children started first, and younger kids were not scheduled to arrive until later in the morning.

Dawadi told The New York Times that a couple of students became traumatized and fainted, and teachers scooped them up and evacuated them on motorbikes. He stated, "It would not have been possible to save everyone, had kindergarten and primary school students also been there." Dawadi decided to evacuate, thinking, even if the warning turned out to be wrong, the worst it would cost them was one day of study.

He added, "But taking it lightly could mean the loss of hundreds of lives." The school building was completely destroyed in the flood. Dawadi expressed emotion, stating, "I am extremely emotional to see the school completely swept away." He also noted, "We saved lives, but now there is no place to teach the students." A catastrophic flood swept through the Nepal-China border last Wednesday, killing around 1,000 people and leaving thousands missing. Around 85 Americans are among the missing.