31/08/2026
Salute to Principal of Nepal- 1,643 kids are alive because he didn't hesitate for a single second.
A school principal in Nepal helped save 1,643 children after acting quickly as a devastating flash flood swept through the Trishuli valley.
Rajendra Dawadi, the 47-year-old principal of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School, received a warning at around 9:20 am on August 26 that floodwaters were rapidly approaching. About 900 children were already at the school, while another 700 were travelling there on foot and by bus.
A friend called him from Betrawati, about five miles upstream, and told him the village had been swept away. He said the village was gone, taken by the river, and told him to run. Initially, Dawadi thought the three-story concrete school, which stood about 60 meters above the river, was safe. But when a parent arrived and warned that the water was rising quickly, he rang the school bell and instructed teachers to evacuate the classrooms.
He then remembered that several school buses, each carrying around 80 children, were still on their way. Dawadi managed to contact all but one of the drivers and instructed them to turn back. The remaining bus was already crossing a bridge near the school when he spotted it. With water already entering the school grounds, he told the driver to turn around. The bus reached the other side shortly before the bridge collapsed.
The children at the school were sent uphill on foot and eventually took shelter under a bodhi tree as the floodwaters swept away their school buildings. One girl suffered a panic attack and had to be taken uphill on a motorbike. All 1,643 pupils survived. However, social history teacher Santos Pariyar and school janitor Sultan Lama were killed after returning to the area.
Despite locals describing him as a hero, Dawadi played down his actions. "What else could I do?" he said.
The dramatic rescue came as Nepal continues to grapple with one of its deadliest recent natural disasters. At least 734 people had been confirmed dead, with nearly 3,000 reported missing. Thousands of people have been rescued.
What would you have done if you had only minutes to act?
