Headteacher saves 900 children from deadly flash flood in Nepal

Rajendra Dawadi ordered students to higher ground with moments to spare after receiving warnings from upstream A headteacher in Nepal evacuated 900 children from a school moments before a deadly wall of water struck their town amid the devastating flash floods that have killed almost 800 people and left thousands missing. Rajendra Dawadi decided to halt classes and order children to higher ground after receiving warnings about the scale of the flooding heading their way. Dawadi, the headteacher at Tribhuvan Trishuli secondary school in Nuwakot, which has 1,600 pupils, said he had received four warnings from different people within minutes, including one from Betrawati, a town directly upstream. One student said Dawadi’s decision had saved their lives with moments to spare. Yunisha, 16, told reporters: “I, along with my friends, survived by just 10 seconds.” She described the children running up a muddy path to escape as water and debris inundated the town. “Within no time, the bazaar was swept away in front of my eyes,” she said.

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