Bhubaneswar: The mortal remains of Dr Bishnu Prasad Chinara, who lost his life in the devastating landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad district, will arrive in Odisha on Saturday.
Speaking to the media, Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said that body of Bishnu, who was resident of Housing Board Colony in Choudwar, is being brought by road. “There is no direct flight from Kochi. It was not feasible to bring the body by road for 90 km to Kochi airport and then board a flight to Bengaluru and then to Bhubaneswar. Therefore, it was decided to bring the body by road, which will take around 30 hours. His wife Priyadarshini Paul will also arrive today,” he said.
While Bishnu’s body was found on Wednesday, his family members identified it on Thursday. He was doing his PG at a private medical college in Bhubaneswar.
Pujari further said that the other doctor, Swadhin Panda, who also went missing with him after the landslides in Kerala’s Chooralmala where they were vacationing, is yet to traced. “Since several people trapped under slush and debris have been rescued alive, we are hopeful that the rescue team will be able to locate him soon,” he said.
A senior resident doctor at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, he is a resident of Raghunathpur in Bhubaneswar.
The Minister said that Swadhin’s wife Sweekruti Mohapatra, who is from Jharsuguda, is still under treatment. “She is slowly recovering. Mud and slush entered her lungs after she got trapped in the landslide and 95% of those have been removed. Doctors there are of the opinion that coughing and sneezing can help rid of the remaining 5%. We are in touch with the Kerala government and an Odia SRC official there,” he added.
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The two couples left for Bengaluru on July 26. They celebrated Bishnu’s birthday in Bengaluru on July 27 and then left for Wayanad, where they stayed at Linora Villa at Chooralmala. They were asleep in the villa when a devastating landslide swept them away at around 2 am on July 29.
Earlier in the day, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that 148 bodies have been handed over so far while another 67 are yet to be identified. “A total of 10,042 people are staying in 93 relief camps. Search operations continue in the disaster area and along the Chaliyar River. A total of 1,419 personnel are engaged in the rescue efforts. Drone-based radar will be deployed soon. The people of Kerala stand united in lifting Wayanad back on its feet,” he added.
