Brahmapur: Rescue teams on Thursday recovered five more bodies from beneath the debris at landslide-hit Gidipabali village in Odisha’s Ganjam district. All five were members of one family, officials said.
Five more people, who went missing following the devastating landslide triggered by heavy rainfall due to Cyclone Arnab, are yet to be traced.
Bodies of two persons – identified as Sanman Pradhan (29) and Rabi Mallick (52) – were recovered earlier this week. Recovery of five more bodies have taken the death toll from Cyclone Arnab in Odisha to 11.
Officials said three bodies were recovered during the morning hours on Thursday, while the other two were retrieved in the afternoon. The five victims were found buried under the debris following a devastating landslide triggered heavy rain caused by cyclone Arnab. Their last rites were subsequently performed, plunging the village into mourning.
The search operation at Gidipabali under Bhanjanagar block has been underway for nearly a week. Rescue teams had earlier recovered two bodies from the landslide site. With the latest recovery of five bodies belonging to the same family, the recovery of bodies in the disaster has climbed to seven.
A joint team of around 170 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and Fire Service has been conducting the rescue operation to trace those still missing.
The search operation was temporarily suspended on Wednesday due to rainfall but resumed thereafter. Despite the recovery of seven bodies so far, search operations are continuing at the site.
According to Kandhamala Collector Vedbhusan, all five deceased belonged to the same family and have been identified by their relatives. The rescue teams will remain at the site and continue the search operation over the coming days, he said.
The five deceased have been identified as Aruna Pradhan (around 70), Bhumika Pradhan (around 27), Bijay Pradhan (around 25), Bijaylakshmi Pradhan (6) and Bagri Pradhan (1). They were residents of Gidipabali and their names figured in the village’s missing persons list. Their exact age will be verified by the Ganjam district administration, he said.
The search teams will resume the rescue operation tomorrow. The affected families are hopeful that the operation will reach its conclusion in the coming days.
The massive landslide struck Gidipabali village under Baibali Panchayat in Bhanjanagar block, near the Ganjam-Kandhamal border, around 3 am on October 28. Continuous rainfall sent a huge mass of mud, rocks, uprooted trees and water rushing down the hillside, burying houses while residents slept. The small hamlet, home to about nine families and a population of around 26, was largely wiped out. At least 11 to 13 were initially unaccounted for, though some residents managed to escape. Survivors later reached officials in neighbouring Kandhamala district.
Survivors, including 26-year-old Rinima Malik who lost her husband and father-in-law, remain sheltered at Kilapanga Primary School in Kandhamal, clinging to fading hopes amid the ongoing tragedy that has left the local community devastated.
The multi-agency operation, involving personnel from the Ganjam and Kandhamal administrations, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force, National Disaster Response Force and Fire Services, has faced severe obstacles. Massive boulders, some reportedly as large as houses, heaps of mud, difficult terrain and the lack of road connectivity have prevented heavy machinery from reaching the site. Assistance from the Mines Department was also sought to break the obstructing boulders.
Search efforts were, however, halted on November 4 over safety concerns, with Collector V Keerthi Vasan citing impending rain and potential landslides. He had then told the media that operations will only resume once the site is deemed safe for rescuers.
Meanwhile, the administration has assured affected families of temporary accommodation followed by permanent houses for those willing to settle in Ganjam, along with ex-gratia assistance of Rs 4 lakh each for the bereaved.
