Nepal floods: Teacher evacuates 1,600 students as floods wash away Trishuli school

The catastrophic flash floods in Nepal have swept away schools and caused widespread destruction across the region, even as rescue and relief operations continue in the affected areas.

In Trishuli, the lives of more than 1,600 students were at risk as floodwaters rapidly rose around their school. However, a teacher, displaying remarkable presence of mind and risking his own life, managed to evacuate all the children to safety in a desperate race against time.

While the students were successfully rescued, the force of the floodwaters eventually engulfed and swept away the school building.


Speaking to ANI, local resident Surendar Kumar described how the children's lives were saved even as the school, which had once shaped the dreams of generations of students, was reduced to rubble and mud.

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Narrating the incident, Kumar said, "There used to be a three-storey building here-a school. There was a temple right in front of it-a Ram temple. And this whole area was a market. In that open space in the middle-that's where the three-storey school stood. 1600 students studied there. And on the very day this happened, the teachers evacuated all the children and got them to safety. There's absolutely no sign of the school anymore; it was completely swept away. And there was a Ram temple too... Many people died here... There is no information yet on exactly how many, but the toll was high. So, everything here is gone."

Meanwhile, a specialised tunnel search and rescue team from India conducted joint operations with the Nepali Army at hydropower tunnel sites in the Chilime and Langtang areas on Sunday.

Highlighting the ongoing relief and rescue efforts, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava wrote in a post on X, "A specialised team from India for Tunnel Search & Rescue operation worked with the Nepali Army's team at hydropower tunnel sites in the Chilime and Langtang area today. The team will continue to conduct search and rescue operations in close coordination with the Nepali Army ."

This comes as the total number of bodies recovered following the devastating flash floods in Nepal reached 794 as of 5:45 PM on Sunday, according to the Nepal Police.

According to the updated data, Chitwan recorded the highest number of fatalities at 264, followed by Nawalparasi East with 197, Nawalparasi West with 120, Gorkha with 61, Nuwakot with 52, Dhading with 50, Tanahun with 37 and Rasuwa with 13 deaths.

Earlier, Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Authority (NDRRMA) said that 2,502 people remained missing as of 1 PM, as rescue and search operations continued across several affected areas.

Unidentified bodies are being kept at 21 hospitals across the country as authorities continue efforts to identify them.

Of the total missing persons, NDRRMA said 933 were workers from regional hydropower projects, 592 were foreign nationals and 127 were Nepali citizens travelling with foreign groups.

Several missing reports also involve personnel from the Nepal Police, Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, Customs Office and Immigration Office.

Authorities said 239 injured people are currently receiving treatment or have been discharged, with six surgical medical teams deployed to support relief efforts in the disaster-hit areas.

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Nearly 20,000 security personnel have been deployed for rescue and relief operations, with ground forces carrying out a total of 8,730 rescues.

Air crews have conducted 363 helicopter flights, airlifting 3,081 people, including 236 foreigners. They have also rescued 279 individuals directly from a flooded hydropower tunnel over the past several days.

Police personnel are also relocating families living in vulnerable areas across various districts to safer locations, while search and rescue operations continue alongside efforts to clear road blockages in several areas.

(With inputs from agency)