Bhubaneswar: The toll due to landslides triggered by cyclone Arnab mounted to four in Odisha on Saturday with another death, while search operation was intensified for 12 others who remained missing.
Speaking about the post-cyclone damage, Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said that three districts – Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal – have been worst affected due to continuous rain after the cyclone.
Giving details of the casualties, the SRC said three members of a single family died in Raikia in Kandhamala district in a landslide. In Gajapati district, one person who was earlier reported missing has died.
Meanwhile, the state government stepped up search operation for 12 people who went missing after a rain-triggered landslide struck a village bordering Ganjam and Kandhamala districts a day ago.
Steps are being taken to deploy a Navy helicopter equipped with a live detection unit to search for people missing in the landslide in Bhanjanagar of Ganjam district. The helicopter will scan the affected areas to check if anyone is trapped beneath the debris.
Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the helicopter would fly from Bhubaneswar airport to Bhanjanagar to assist the ongoing search and rescue operation. The live detection unit will help scan the soil and locate people who may still be buried underneath.
The use of specialised equipment is being explored to speed up the search and improve the chances of locating anyone trapped beneath the soil. The Navy helicopter is expected to support the ground teams by scanning the affected areas.
The state government is also exploring the possibility of using the Railways’ chain-pulling technology to strengthen efforts to locate people buried under the soil. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi has spoken to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw in this regard, said Pujari.
SRC Patil said altogether, 170 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and Special Operation Group (SOG) have been engaged in the operation to locate the missing people.
“A hilltop village was home to 26 people. Thirteen of them managed to escape from the landslide, while 13 others went missing. One of the missing people has been traced, and others are still untraceable. The search operation has been going on since Friday night,” Patil said.
The landslide at Gidipabali village under the Baibali panchayat in Ganjam’s Bhanjanagar block was among the 10 such incidents that occurred during incessant rain triggered by cyclone Arnab.
Heavy rain inundated hundreds of villages in the state’s southern part.
Three people, including a nine-month-old baby, died in a landslide in Kandhamal district on Friday, while a person was found dead in Gajapati, the SRC said.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said rescue and relief operations have been intensified in flood-affected districts, including Ganjam, with the safety and well-being of people given top priority.
“People are being shifted to safer locations, while essential facilities are ensured at relief camps. The administration and rescue teams remain actively engaged in providing all possible assistance to those affected,” Majhi said in a social media post.
Taking to X, Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik said he was “deeply saddened to learn of the tragic incident of landslides in Odisha’s Kandhamal district due to the impact of cyclone Arnnab, resulting in the loss of several lives and many people going missing”.
“I urge the government to swiftly ensure all necessary steps are taken for the rescue of the people and to facilitate the restoration of normal life,” he said.
The thirteen people who managed to escape the landslide at Gidipabali village took shelter at a relief centre near G Udaygiri of Kandhamala.
Kandhamala district collector Vedbhusan said two children are among them.
According to one of the survivors, a huge mass of sludge cascaded down the hills, burying houses and leaving the entire village devastated.
“Some of us managed to run away from the place, and others were following us. But they could not reach here,” said Rinima Mallik at the relief centre.
Another survivor Soudamini Mallik said some of her relatives remain missing and requested the administration to save their lives.
“All those who survived had sustained injuries after being hit by the stones,” she claimed.
G Udayagiri Block Development Officer Satyanarayan Mishra said the two injured women – Samita Mallik and Manima Pradhan – have been shifted to a health centre.
Ganjam district collector V Keerthi Vasan said relief work has been expedited in Asika and other parts of the district. “The overall situation is improving in Asika with coordinated efforts to restore normalcy,” the collector said, adding that 10 drinking water tankers and around 30,000 bottles were distributed till Friday evening.
