Principal Saved 900 children before his school was washed away in Nepal

What started as a completely normal school morning in Nepal turned into a terrifying race against time when a flood warning suddenly came in.

Rajendra Dawadi, headmaster of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Bidur, was at school on Aug 26 when staff received an urgent call warning that floodwaters were heading their way.

The warning came from relatives upstream in Rasuwa, where the disaster had already begun. Dawadi quickly realized there was no time to waste.

He had just 14 minutes to get everyone out.

The school was located between the Trishuli River and a hydropower canal, putting hundreds of students directly in the potential path of the rushing water. Dawadi immediately stopped classes and sounded the

school bell, telling everyone to evacuate and head towards safer ground.

More than 900 students and 16 staff members were on the school grounds when the warning arrived.

Dawadi also contacted school bus drivers who were still on their way, telling them to turn around instead of bringing more students towards the danger zone.

Students then scrambled to get out.

Some were picked up by parents on motorbikes, while others escaped by bus or ran towards higher ground. The situation became chaotic, with at least one student reportedly fainting during the evacuation.

But everyone had the same goal:get out before the water arrived.

One school bus was still crossing a nearby bridge when the flood hit. The old bridge collapsed shortly afterwards, highlighting just how close the students had come to being trapped.

The School Was Swept Away

The evacuation succeeded, but the school itself was not so lucky.

Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School was completely destroyed by the floodwaters. The building had previously been rebuilt following Nepal’s devastating 2015 earthquake but was ultimately swept away during the latest disaster.

The area where the school once stood was later described as part of the riverbed.

For Dawadi, the destruction was especially personal. He had once studied at the same school before eventually returning as its headmaster.

After seeing the school disappear, he called for it to be rebuilt somewhere safer rather than returning to the same dangerous location.

Nepal’s Disaster Continues

The school evacuation happened as devastating floods and landslides tore through parts of Nepal, destroying homes, bridges, roads, and other infrastructure.

The disaster was linked to a glacier collapse near Nepal’s border with China on Aug 26, sending huge amounts of water and debris into downstream communities.

As of Sept 3, at least 1,252 people had died in Nepal, while more than 4,200 remained missing.
But at Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School, the quick warning gave hundreds of students a chance to escape.

More than 900 students and 16 staff members reached safer ground before the floodwaters overwhelmed the school.

The school was later completely destroyed, leaving behind a stark reminder of how quickly the situation had changed that morning.Dawadi had just 14 minutes to act. He did, and more than 900 students made it out.

Watch the video here:

Credit : Global News