Kendrapada: A team of the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) on Wednesday rescued 230 students who had been stranded for four days at the Government Residential School at Kulsahi under Penthapal gram panchayat in Pattamundai block of Odisha’s Kendrapada district.
The students were rescued by boat following instructions from the district administration in view of the worsening flood situation. The rescued students include 140 boys and 90 girls.
The school is located close to a river, due to which floodwater entered the ground floor of the hostel after the river suddenly swelled on Saturday. The administration had been cautious about carrying out a rescue operation due to the strong river current.
The water level in the river increased further on Wednesday compared to the previous day, prompting the administration to step up efforts to evacuate the students to a safer location. The students were subsequently evacuated safely by the ODRAF team by boat.
A medical team had visited the school on Tuesday and examined the health condition of the stranded students.
Kendrapada: Around 300 students and teachers of a government-run residential school were rescued on Wednesday after remaining stranded for four days due to flooding at Kulasahi village in Odisha’s Kendrapada district.
They were stranded at the school meant for Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) students as the entire area remained marooned. The school campus was inundated by floodwaters from the Brahmani River, forcing the students, teachers and other inmates to take shelter on the first floor of the building.
Officials said a 25-member ODRAF team from Kataka rushed to the school and launched a rescue operation. The team was divided into three units and used three boats to evacuate the stranded students and teachers from the flooded campus.
The rescue operation was carried out under the supervision of the Pattamundai Tehsildar and Block Development Officer (BDO).
The rescue team was divided into three groups for the operation and used three boats to evacuate the students from the flooded campus.
After the evacuation, the district administration shifted the rescued students and teachers to the nearby Mahadeipatana Abasika Sebashram School at Batipada, where arrangements were made for their temporary stay.