The principal of the Nepalese Tribhuvan Trishuli school, in the Nuwakot district, one of the areas most affected by the devastating flood that has caused nearly a thousand deaths in the country, became a hero after evacuating the center minutes before a huge flood hit the town. This is Rajendra Dawadi, who told the BBC how his quick intervention allowed about 900 students to be taken to higher areas to avoid being swept away.
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“If we had not made a quick decision, if we had taken 10 more minutes, none of us, including the students and myself, would be able to talk to you,” Dawadi told the British network, who said he had received four warnings within minutes from several people, one of them located in an upstream city.
Alerts from several people, including those upstream, were key to making the decision in a matter of seconds
Faced with the widespread alert, the principal decided to act immediately and escort the students to a high point to avoid the water’s path. Similarly, he instructed the bus drivers to turn around to flee the area. According to the testimony of the head of studies himself, both he and the students witnessed while fleeing how a student residence building was swallowed by a torrent of water, while the city flooded and filled with debris dragged by the river.
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One of the students’ mothers also explained that the students were instructed to leave their backpacks behind to avoid crowds and loss of time in the face of imminent danger. According to the charity Save the Children, at least 69 schools have been destroyed or damaged by the floods, affecting nearly 19,000 children.
Additionally, at least 4,247 people remain missing, and authorities are intensifying rescues in tunnels and flood-prone areas where survivors may still be found.
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