Bhadrak: A man, who went missing after being swept away by strong currents of a swollen river five days ago, was rescued on Tuesday after surviving by clinging to a palm tree in flood-hit Bhadrak district of Odisha.
The rescued man was identified as Sunanda Behera of Balipatana village under Arjunpur Gram Panchayat in Dhamnagar block of the district.
According to information, Sunanda went missing five days ago after being swept away by strong floodwaters of Pochara River. Despite extensive searches by villagers, he could not be traced.
On Tuesday, some villagers travelling by boat through the Bajapati field area under Arjunpur Gram Panchayat spotted Sunanda clinging to a palm tree. They immediately alerted the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) team.
On being informed, an ODRAF team rushed to the spot and launched a rescue operation. The team managed to bring Sunanda to safety after finding him in a severely weakened condition.
Locals said Sunanda had reportedly spent five days clinging to the palm tree without eating anything. His hands and legs were trembling when he was rescued.
He was subsequently rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. His condition was stated to be serious.
