A heroic teacher saved the lives of more than 1,600 children in Nepal when landslides and flash floods struck the region on Wednesday. Rajendra Dawadi, the principal of Tribhuvan Trishuli secondary school in the Trishuli valley, received a warning that a village five miles upstream had been swept away by the river.
At the time of the warning, 900 children had already arrived at the school, with an additional 700 en route. A parent alerted Dawadi that water levels were rising rapidly towards the school, which was situated 200 feet above the river. The disaster has so far resulted in 734 deaths and 2,498 disappearances in Nepal, with authorities issuing warnings of potential further flooding.
Dawadi quickly contacted the drivers of the buses carrying students, successfully instructing all but one to turn back. He managed to get the final bus to evacuate the area just moments before a bridge collapsed. He then focused on the children inside the school. "One girl had a panic attack, so we put her on the back of a motorbike. The rest I sent uphill on foot, then followed," Dawadi told The Times. The children took shelter under a bodhi tree on higher ground.
Dawadi's swift actions are credited with saving 1,643 children and all but one staff member. Santos Pariyar, a 32-year-old social history teacher, was among those lost in the floods after arriving early to teach extra classes.
The floods were triggered by a massive chunk of ice and rock, estimated to be nearly 50 acres in size, that broke off from the north face of the Langtang Lirung peak. This event sent debris plunging 1,200 meters into the Lhende Khola river, near Nepal's border with Tibet, initiating the landslide and subsequent flash floods.
Rescue efforts are underway, with crews working to clear the Prithvi Highway, a vital supply route. Malaysia has pledged $1 million in financial aid and is sending a disaster search-and-rescue team. The combined death toll in Nepal and Tibet has risen to 750, with over 3,000 people missing across the region. Residents in affected areas continue to face the challenge of rising water levels and ongoing flood warnings.
