A glacier collapse and an ice-rock avalanche from Mount Langtang Lirung triggered a massive flash flood in Nepal on Wednesday, August 26, causing unimaginable devastation.
Not only did it cause extensive infrastructural damage and leave thousands of people missing, but according to the country’s disaster management authorities, it also claimed 734 lives.
Highlights
- A teacher’s split-second decision helped 1,643 students escape the devastating floods in Nepal.
- They later recalled harrowing moments as floodwaters and debris swept through their town.
- Rescue operations continue as authorities warn of possible fresh flooding in the country.
The casualty toll, however, would have been much higher if not for Rajendra Dawadi, the head teacher at Tribhuvani Trishuli Secondary School, who helped 1,643 of his pupils escape to safety.
“I, along with my friends, survived by just 10 seconds,” a student later said.
A teacher’s split-second decision saved thousands from disaster
Though Dawadi was aware that the collapsed glacier was melting and causing the local river to overflow, he initially believed his school, located 60 meters above the river, was outside the danger zone.
Before classes began on Wednesday, though, he received four separate calls from people warning him of the imminent threat.
This prompted him to spring into action.
“I decided I shouldn’t delay any more. Even if the flood was not coming, it was just a matter of a single day’s classes,” he told the BBC.
Dawadi said that during the evacuation of the school premises, which was hosting 900 students, he saw a hostel building about 100 meters from the river succumb to the force of the flood.
“If we had made the decision 10 minutes later, all of us, including the students and me, would not be able to speak to you today,” he said.
Dawadi also made warning calls to four buses carrying about 700 more students, asking them to divert their routes and saving those lives as well.
Students and parents have shared harrowing accounts in the aftermath of the dire incident
Yunisha, a 16-year-old student of Dawadi, escaped a fatal fate by only 10 minutes, as did several of her classmates.
Speaking with reporters, she described children running up a muddy path as water and debris inundated the town.
“Within no time, the bazaar was swept away in front of my eyes,” she said.
The teenager was reunited with her family three days later. She now says she is thinking about what comes next.
A mother of an unnamed child also told the press that teachers had warned students to leave their bags and tiffins behind in case of a flood.
“That’s how they managed to survive,” she said.
Search and rescue operations continue as authorities warn of another possible flash flood
On Saturday night, the Nepali Army inserted a pipe into a tunnel at the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric site, where workers are understood to be trapped.
Home Minister Sudan Gurung said, “We have already started sending air through the small opening, and we will now begin excavation work and send the rescue team inside.”
An estimated 100 workers are still alive in the tunnels, with rescue efforts focused on the Trishuli 3A and 3B sites.
Meanwhile, a warning for possible fresh flooding was issued after water levels rose in the Bhotekoshi River.
Locals were sent alerts on their phones as rescue operators worked to clear a major highway in Kathmandu.
Nepal’s Chitwan district became the site of mass burials over the weekend
Chitwan is known for its scenic forests and rivers but will now be remembered as the resting place of hundreds of flood victims.
Ninety-six unidentified bodies were buried in the district’s Devghat forest on Saturday, while 100 others were buried on Sunday.
“We were left with no other option and had to take this step. Our concern was the risk to public health posed by the rapid decomposition of the bodies,” said a local authority.
Every burial, however, was carefully recorded, with identification markers placed both above and below the ground and precise location data logged.
DNA samples were collected from the victims, allowing families to locate and exhume the remains in the future.
India has already sent a forensic team that will work with its Nepali counterparts to support the procedure.
Nepal is also liaising with a team from China.
"He must be awarded with the highest civilian honour," a netizen said about Dawadi
