Nepal Flood: How a stranger saved 370+ hostel kids & teachers who were having breakfast when massive waters surged towards their school

A stranger’s shouted warning may have helped save more than 370 students and teachers at Uttargaya Public School in Betrawati, Nepal, as a massive flood surged through the area. “The big flood is coming, run...” the unidentified man shouted as he sprinted past the school, which is located across the river and a few kilometres from Trishuli Bazaar.

His warning reached the school before any official alert. There was no siren, automated message or other warning system in place when students and teachers began fleeing the campus.

Read more - How Nepal school principal saved 1,600+ children minutes before flood swallowed entire school in mud, ice & water

Stranger’s warning sends Nepal school into a frantic evacuation

The school day had only just begun when the warning spread through the compound. Hostel students were having breakfast when they heard the man shouting.

Within minutes, students began running towards the forested hill behind the school as floodwaters cut across roads and usual escape routes.

Older students in Grades 7 to 10 ran towards higher ground themselves, while teachers helped younger children. Some pupils who struggled to keep up were carried by staff through the mud.

English teacher Somlal Dangol told TOI, “No one could have imagined a flood this massive was coming. That’s why they didn't run far at first, and by the time they saw it, they could no longer escape along the main paths.”

Student says flood could have caught him at breakfast

Grade 10 student Sujal Lama had completed his morning tuition and was on his way to breakfast when the warning reached the students.

At first, he did not believe the river would rise significantly. “If I had gone to eat, the flood would have caught me,” Sujal told TOI on Sunday.

He ran towards the forest and spent the night there. Teachers later provided him with food when he finally gathered enough courage to return towards the school building.

Younger children struggled to escape through the mud

Class 8 student Rashmi Tamang described the difficult climb towards higher ground.

“We managed to climb up even though we were covered in mud, but many children couldn't even run,” she told TOI.

As the flood spread, teachers and students were forced to navigate muddy and difficult terrain to reach safety.

Father swept away while trying to find his son

For one family, the attempt to reach the school ended in tragedy. Nawaraj Tamang rushed towards Uttargaya after hearing about the flood, hoping to find his Grade 10 son, Ayush.

Before leaving, he told his mother, Mungsi Tamang, “Aama, ma Ayush lai lina aaye” (Mother, I have come to get Ayush).

Nawaraj was swept away before he could reach the school. Ayush, meanwhile, managed to escape towards the forest and survived.

School struggles to account for students after flood

In the aftermath, vice-principal Pawan Sharma and teachers were scattered across higher ground with groups of students. Communications had been disrupted, while access to school records was also lost.

Sharma told TOI, “Relatives of students are calling continuously from inside the country and abroad, but I don’t even have the records of those children with me anymore.”

He added, “We have managed to hand over about 25 to 30% directly to their parents, and we have been in touch with the parents of others.”

The school continued efforts to trace students and establish contact with their families as communication networks remained disrupted.

No confirmed figure for student deaths from Uttargaya Public School had been released at the time of the report.