Nepal school principal evacuated about 900 students before deadly flood
The headmaster of a school with just over 1,600 pupils says early warnings allowed him to move about 900 students to safety before floodwaters destroyed the building and a wider disaster left hundreds dead.
A secondary school principal in Nepal says he managed to move about 900 pupils to safety before a catastrophic flood struck and destroyed the school, in an operation prompted by a string of urgent warnings.
Rapid warnings, rapid action
Rajendra Dawadi, who leads a school with just over 1,600 students, told reporters he received four warnings from different people within minutes that there was a risk of flooding in the area. He decided to evacuate immediately and succeeded in getting roughly 900 children away from the building.
“There were reports that the flood had already hit our neighborhood. Then I decided I must not delay any longer. If we had made the decision ten minutes later, none of us would be speaking today,” Dawadi said.
One evacuated pupil described running along a narrow, muddy path behind the school as they left. The school itself was later destroyed by the floodwaters.
The evacuation came amid a much larger national disaster: the same flood has been blamed for nearly 800 deaths, and more than 3,000 people remain unaccounted for, authorities say.
Dawadi’s quick decision and the help of those who issued warnings are credited with preventing a far greater loss of life among the school’s population, even as communities nearby continue search and rescue operations.
Photo: DPA)
