According to numerous sources, a headteacher's snap decision to evacuate his school during the catastrophic flash floods that struck Nepal on August 26, 2026, is credited with saving the lives of over 1,600 kids.
At approximately 9:10 a.m., Rajendra Dawadi, the headteacher of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School, got multiple urgent warnings, including a call from a friend who lived several miles upstream. The caller stated that a swiftly rising flood had completely swept away a nearby settlement.
Dawadi gave the order to immediately stop morning courses and told personnel to leave the school since he didn't have enough time to evaluate the threat."We miss a study day if there isn't a flood. However, we all perish if there is a flood, Dawadi stated.As instructors and staff assisted in organizing the evacuation, over 900 students inside the school building hurried upward for a nearby settlement.
Dawadi also found out that school busses with an extra 700 pupils were on their way. He located the busses and gave the drivers instructions to turn around. Just before floodwaters arrived, the last bus was able to change course and cross a nearby bridge. The water's force then caused the bridge to collapse.
Ten minutes after the first warning, at around 9:20 a.m., a huge flood of water and debris raced over the region, totally destroying the school building.It is anticipated that 1,643 pupils and nearly all staff members were saved by the evacuation.