Nepal Principal Saves More Than 900 Students Before Flash Flood Sweeps Away School

Bidur, Nepal, September 1, 2026: A swift evacuation ordered by a school principal after receiving a last-minute flood warning saved more than 900 students and 16 faculty members before flash floods swept away a school in Nepal's Trishuli Valley.

Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Bidur, which has an enrolment of 1,643 students, was destroyed when floodwaters surged through the area on August 26.

Principal Rajendra Dawadi was at the school when his accountant rushed in with a warning that a flood was approaching. The accountant had received the information from a relative in Rasuwa, an area already affected by the disaster.

Several warnings reached the school within minutes, leaving little time to assess the rapidly developing situation.

Dawadi immediately ordered classes to stop and instructed staff to ring the school bell. Students and teachers were directed to move to higher ground.

More than 900 students were on the campus at the time, while several others were still travelling to school.

The principal also contacted school bus drivers carrying students to the campus and instructed them to turn back and proceed to safer locations.

One school bus had already reached the campus and was returning when the warning was issued. According to Dawadi, the bus crossed a newly constructed bridge shortly before the older bridge beside it collapsed.

The entire evacuation was completed in about 14 minutes.

The school was located between the Trishuli River and a hydropower canal. As floodwaters swept through the area, the three-storey school building, its primary section and the surrounding campus were washed away.

The site where the school once stood is now part of the riverbed.

The disaster was particularly personal for Dawadi, who had studied at the institution before returning as a teacher and eventually becoming its principal.

Despite the successful evacuation, two school staff members remain missing, according to reports.

Parents and students later expressed gratitude to Dawadi for his quick action. Some parents embraced him when he returned to the devastated site, while 14-year-old student Suvina Tamang said she wanted to thank him for saving her life.

Dawadi, however, has declined to describe his actions as extraordinary, saying he had simply fulfilled his responsibility as the principal of the school.

The floods have caused extensive damage to education infrastructure across northern Nepal. Save the Children reported that at least 69 schools had been destroyed, placing the education of nearly 19,000 students at risk.

Dawadi has called for Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School to be rebuilt in a safer location and for psychological support to be provided to students affected by the disaster.

The survival of more than 900 students and school personnel amid the destruction has highlighted the importance of timely warnings, preparedness and decisive leadership during rapidly unfolding disasters.

Courtesy: Reuters