A headteacher in Nepal says a split-second decision to evacuate his school saved the lives of around 900 students just minutes before devastating floodwaters reached the campus.
Rajendra Dawadi, head of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nuwakot, told the BBC that he received four separate warnings at around 09:10 local time that a major flood was approaching.
He immediately ordered students to move to higher ground and instructed buses carrying pupils to turn around and leave the area.
Dawadi said the flood arrived roughly 10 minutes later, adding that even a short delay could have been catastrophic.
One of the warnings came from a parent who rushed to the school to collect her daughter, convincing Dawadi that the threat was serious and there was no time to waste.
The flood later buried parts of the school beneath mud and debris. A hostel building located about 100 metres from the river was also quickly overwhelmed.
Sixteen-year-old student Yunisha Amatya said she and her friends escaped uphill only seconds before the water swept through the area. Students used a narrow route behind the school while crowds rushed toward safer ground.
Teachers and pupils initially gathered several hundred metres uphill before continuing to a nearby village. With roads destroyed and transport disrupted, some remained stranded for two nights before rescue teams reached them.
The disaster has killed at least 794 people and left more than 2,400 missing across affected areas, according to the report.
Dawadi said stronger early-warning systems, including sirens and evacuation alerts, could help communities react faster during future disasters. He believes his immediate decision to cancel classes and evacuate prevented a far greater tragedy.