Rescuers recovered two bodies and continued searching for 10 missing villagers in Gidipabali. The disaster underscores the deadly landslide and flood risks following Cyclone Arnab.
The death toll from incidents linked to Cyclone Arnab in Odisha rose to six on Sunday after rescue teams recovered two bodies from a landslide-hit village on the border of Ganjam and Kandhamal districts. Ten people remain missing as teams search through mud, boulders and debris.
Heavy rain triggered by the cyclone sent sludge and rocks crashing down the hills in Gidipabali, levelling houses while residents slept. At least 13 people who escaped have been sheltered at a relief centre near G Udaygiri, Kandhamal District Collector Vedbhusan said.
Odisha has reported around 10 landslides following incessant rain brought by the cyclone, which made landfall in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on October 28.
SURVIVOR WALKS 25 KM WITH TWINS
Rinima Mallik, who survived the landslide, walked 25 kilometres along forest roads with her two children on her shoulders to reach the relief centre near G Udaygiri. Her husband and father remain missing.
“My husband and father are missing. How to support my twins? We do not want to go back to the village,” she said, urging the government to help her settle elsewhere.
Another survivor, Soudamini Mallik, said the landslide struck while the village was asleep. Members of her family are also missing.
“Sludge and boulders rolled down on our house. Some of us who woke up by the sound ran for safety. We do not know what happened to others,” she said.
Gidipabali was home to around 26 people.
177 PERSONNEL SEARCH THROUGH DEBRIS
The state government launched the search operation on Friday. State Fire Service Director General Sudhanshu Sarangi said two bodies had been recovered and the operation would continue until Tuesday.
A total of 177 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force, Fire Service, Special Operation Group, railways and the Indian Navy were involved in the search, officials said.
Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P Patil said teams were using Fire Department equipment to detect signs of life through vibrations. A railway chain pulley system was also being used to help safely evacuate people from the affected area.
