Published : 30 Aug 2026, 05:42 PM
Updated : 08 Sep 2026, 09:37 AM
A headmaster in Nepal got 1,643 pupils to safety moments before a massive flood wave swept away their school, according to a video report by The Sunday Times.
Rajendra Dawadi runs Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School at Trishuli Bazaar in Bidur Municipality, on the banks of the Trishuli River.
The flood alert reached him during morning assembly, as classes were beginning, and all pupils on campus were moved to higher ground, Nepalnews reported.
Chris Haslam, chief travel writer for The Sunday Times, reporting from the area, said a flood wave estimated to be up to 30 metres high and travelling at speeds of up to 75kmph swept around a bend in the river.
The surge carried away two bridges and destroyed every house along the riverbank, Haslam said.
The town’s three-storey school was also swept away, leaving no trace of the building, according to The Sunday Times report.
Just before the flood reached the school, Dawadi rang the alarm bell and directed pupils and staff towards higher ground across the town.
He also called bus drivers bringing pupils to school and told them to turn back, the report said.
His quick response meant all 1,643 pupils made it to safety.
“If you look it up on Google Maps, you’ll see it’s marked as permanently closed,” Haslam said in the video, describing how the school had disappeared after being washed away by the flood.
The disaster struck amid deadly flooding in northern Nepal, where flash floods and landslides have devastated communities.
On Sunday, Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 people missing, of whom 261 were foreign nationals. Nepali officials have confirmed 734 deaths, and 2,948 people missing. China’s state broadcaster said the foreign nationals included 104 Nepali citizens, 49 from India, 33 from Latvia, 18 from the US and 15 from the UK.
Nepal says it has rescued more than 3,700 people so far.
