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Head teacher evacuated 900 children minutes before Nepal floods hit school
Confirmed
Rajendra Dawadi, headteacher of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, ordered the evacuation after receiving at least four warnings within several minutes, the London-based media organisation BBC reported.
The students were safely evacuated to higher ground, and headteacher Dawadi said he witnessed a hostel building, located around 100 metres from the river, being engulfed by the floodwaters. Dawadi said: "If we didn't make a quick decision, if it was 10 minutes later, we all - including the students and me - wouldn't be able to speak to you today.
Dawadi said that’s when he decided to evacuate the school. Dawadi said the waters arrived so quickly that a hostel building about 100m (328ft) from the river was engulfed immediately.
He basically saved a generation of Nepalese 🙏 pic.twitter.com/hhVrl3Si3K Dawadi said the decision was taken after he was told that floodwaters had already swept through the upstream settlement of Betrawati. She said one student fainted after hearing about the disaster, but many initially underestimated the danger and waited for classmates who were in a maths lesson.
One of the 900 students saved by the headteacher was 16-year-old Yunisha, who said she narrowly escaped the floodwaters moments before the tragedy struck. "Finally, my daughter received my call and I couldn't stop myself, broke out... two relatives that were with me also cried and hugged me," he said.
"Soon after the flood news spread, I tried my daughter's number, but she was not reachable, then I was afraid," he said. But I felt so good to see her after three days (Friday), I am so happy and relieved," her mother said.
Pupil Yunisha Amatya, 16, said she scrambled to safety with her friends just before the flood hit. He was tearful and I could not speak a word then," she said.
"Now I am worried about my further studies," she said.
What's confirmed
- Dawadi said the waters arrived so quickly that a hostel building about 100m (328ft) from the river was engulfed immediately.
- The students were safely evacuated to higher ground, and headteacher Dawadi said he witnessed a hostel building, located around 100 metres from the river, being engulfed by the floodwaters.
- Rajendra Dawadi, headteacher of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, ordered the evacuation after receiving at least four warnings within several minutes, the London-based media organisation B
- Dawadi said that’s when he decided to evacuate the school.
- He basically saved a generation of Nepalese 🙏 pic.twitter.com/hhVrl3Si3K Dawadi said the decision was taken after he was told that floodwaters had already swept through the upstream settlement of Betrawati.
- One of the 900 students saved by the headteacher was 16-year-old Yunisha, who said she narrowly escaped the floodwaters moments before the tragedy struck.
What's still developing
- Dawadi said: "If we didn't make a quick decision, if it was 10 minutes later, we all - including the students and me - wouldn't be able to speak to you today.
- Pupil Yunisha Amatya, 16, said she scrambled to safety with her friends just before the flood hit.
- She said one student fainted after hearing about the disaster, but many initially underestimated the danger and waited for classmates who were in a maths lesson.
- "Soon after the flood news spread, I tried my daughter's number, but she was not reachable, then I was afraid," he said.
- "Finally, my daughter received my call and I couldn't stop myself, broke out... two relatives that were with me also cried and hugged me," he said.
- He was tearful and I could not speak a word then," she said.
- But I felt so good to see her after three days (Friday), I am so happy and relieved," her mother said.
- "Now I am worried about my further studies," she said.