Headteacher saves 900 children from deadly flash flood in Nepal
Rajendra Dawadi ordered students to higher ground with moments to spare after receiving warnings from upstream
TL;DR
- Headteacher Rajendra Dawadi evacuated 900 children from a school in Nepal before a flash flood hit.
- Dawadi received four warnings about the approaching flood and acted quickly to move students to higher ground.
- A hostel building 100 metres from the river was engulfed by flood water during the evacuation.
- One student described surviving with only 10 seconds to spare as the bazaar was swept away.
- At least 69 schools have been destroyed or damaged, affecting nearly 19,000 children.
- The disaster was caused by a glacial collapse in the Nepal-Tibet border region.
- Nepal's foreign minister called for a global response to the climate crisis, stating Nepal is a major victim despite low emissions.
- The updated death toll is 781 people, with 2,502 people out of contact.