- Rajendra Dawadi evacuated 1,643 children from flash floods in Nepal's Nuwakot district
- Floods swept through the area, destroying buildings including Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School
- Two school staff members died after returning to dangerous areas during the flood
Rajendra Dawadi was at school when he got a warning that a massive flood was heading towards the area. He quickly ordered the evacuation of the school and helped save 1,643 children from the deadly flash floods in Nepal's Nuwakot district.
Dawadi, 47, is the principal and an English teacher at Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in the Trishuli Valley. At around 9:20 am on Wednesday, a friend called him and warned that a nearby village had been swept away by the river. He told Dawadi to run, The Times reported.
Dawadi initially thought the school was safe. The three-storey concrete building was around 60 metres above the river. But soon, a parent rushed to the school and said the water was rising quickly.
He immediately rang the school bell and told the teachers to take the children out of their classrooms. He also called the school bus drivers and asked them to turn back. By then, one bus that he could not contact was already crossing the bridge.
The children started moving towards higher ground. One girl had a panic attack and was taken uphill on a motorbike. The other children ran on foot, while Dawadi followed them. The children eventually took shelter under a bodhi tree.
Soon after, the floodwaters swept through the area. Mud, rocks, ice and debris destroyed buildings, bridges and other structures, including the school. But all 1,643 children survived. Most of the school staff also escaped. However, two staff members were killed.
Social history teacher Santos Pariyar, 32, was washed away after returning to his rented room near the river to cook breakfast. School janitor Sultan Lama was also killed after going back to the school to close its doors.
The flash flood was triggered after a huge amount of ice and rock broke away from Langtang Lirung peak near the Nepal-Tibet border. The mass fell about 1,200 metres into the upper part of the Lhende Khola river.
The floods killed hundreds of people in Nepal and Tibet and left thousands missing. Nepal has reported 768 deaths, while more than 2,500 people remain missing as of now. China said 16 people had died and 546 were missing in Tibet.
The floods have also affected several hydropower projects. More than 100 workers are believed to be trapped inside tunnels. Rescue teams are working to reach them. The Nepali Army has sent air into one tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydropower project through a pipe.
India has also sent an 11-member rescue team to help Nepal. China has sent a nine-member tunnel rescue team.
