Kandhamal: Rescue teams continued searching for 11 people missing after a massive landslide wiped out Gidipabali village in Odisha, as the recovery of one body on Sunday took the state’s death toll linked to Cyclone Arnab to five.
The hilltop village, located along the border of Ganjam and Kandhamal districts, was home to around 26 people. A massive volume of mud and debris reportedly came cascading down the hills earlier this week, burying houses and leaving the settlement devastated.
Kandhamal District Collector Vedbhusan said the affected residents had been moved to a relief centre near G Udaygiri.
177 Personnel Deployed For Search Operation
Around 177 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), Fire Service, Special Operation Group, Railways and Indian Navy have been deployed for the search operation.
Rescue teams are digging through mud and stones to locate those still missing. Officials are also using the Odisha Fire Department’s seismic life detection unit and the Railways’ chain pulley system to support search and evacuation efforts.
Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P Patil said on Saturday that 14 of the 26 villagers had been accounted for. Confirming the recovery of a body on Sunday, he said the identity of the deceased was yet to be established.
Cyclone Arnab-Related Death Toll Reaches Five
Odisha has reported 10 landslides following incessant rainfall associated with Cyclone Arnab, which made landfall in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on October 28.
Before Sunday’s recovery, three members of a family had died in a landslide in Kandhamal district, while another man was swept away by strong water currents in Gajapati district.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the state government was taking all possible measures to rescue those missing.
Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik also expressed concern over the landslide in Bhanjanagar. In a post on X, he urged the government to ensure swift and safe rescue operations and conveyed condolences to the affected families.
