During a severe flood caused by the overflowing Trishuli River in Nuwakot district, Nepal, school principal Rajendra Davadi saved the lives of hundreds of students.
Modern.az reports, citing foreign media, that the water level in the river suddenly rose due to floods and landslides. The disaster caused widespread destruction and numerous casualties. According to the latest information, 919 people have died, and 4,700 people are considered missing.
The scale of the tragedy also reached the area where the school was located. However, Principal Rajendra Davadi's timely decision prevented even greater losses.
Davadi made an urgent evacuation decision after receiving several phone calls about the flood threat. The seriousness of the situation was also highlighted by the father of one of the students who came to the school. He stated that he came to pick up his daughter from school and that there would be a flood. The principal told the BBC that he took into account that parents do not rush to pick up their children from school unless there is a serious necessity.
Another phone call Davadi received from a friend was also decisive. His friend, calling from Betrawati, located upstream of the Trishuli River, informed him that danger was approaching. According to the principal, if they had delayed the decision by just 10 minutes, neither the students nor the teachers would be able to talk about the incident today.
The evacuation was carried out in a very short time. Some children left the school without even having time to put on their shoes. At that time, there were approximately 900 students in the school. Another 700 students were on their way to school or on school buses.
Davadi contacted the bus drivers and instructed them to turn back. Thus, other children moving towards the school were prevented from entering the dangerous area. The students were quickly moved to higher ground. Shortly after they reached a safe place, the flood destroyed the school building. According to international media, more than 1,600 students were studying at the school that day. Approximately 900 of them were at school during the incident.
Evaluating what happened, Davadi said that he knew his decision was risky, but he thought that if there was no danger, it would simply mean losing a day of lessons.
As a result of his decision, hundreds of children were able to save their lives. After the incident, Rajendra Davadi is presented as a hero in Nepal. The school itself was completely destroyed by the flood.
