Kendrapara: Around 400 students, including 150 girls, were left stranded on Sunday after surging floodwaters breached a government-run residential school in Odisha’s Kendrapara district. The school, which accommodates Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe students, is situated in a low-lying pocket at Kulasahi village under the Penthapala gram panchayat in the Pattamundai block.
The inundation occurred as the Brahmani river swelled above the danger mark following intense monsoon rainfall in the upper catchment zones, marking the second major flooding spell in the district within a fortnight. Local authorities initiated immediate rescue operations as rising water submerged the surrounding roads and entered the ground floor of the two-storey school building.
Pattamundai Block Development Officer Sheetal Agarwal stated that because female students were residing on the ground floor, the administration prioritized their evacuation using motorized rescue boats to transfer them safely to another government residential facility in nearby Aul. Approximately 250 boys accommodated on the first floor remain in a safer position and are being closely supervised by emergency teams.
Administrative officials and disaster relief personnel remain on high alert as river levels are monitored continuously. Contingency plans and additional rescue boats have been stationed on standby to evacuate the remaining students should the water level rise further.
