Five people died in landslide-related incidents at separate places in Odisha following torrential rain triggered in the aftermath of Cyclone Arnab, while ten others remain missing in Ganjam district, officials said on Sunday.
The state government has begun the process of evacuation of people from landslide-prone areas of Gajapati ahead of Cyclone Murasu’s expected landfall on Wednesday. The fire services personnel recovered two bodies under the debris in Gidipabali on Sunday. The incident came to light only after ten survivors reached officials in neighbouring Kandhamal district on Friday evening and reported the landslide. Rescue operations intensified “Evacuation work has already started today. Instructions have been issued to complete the process in all identified vulnerable locations by tomorrow afternoon,” he said, adding that saturated soil following days of rain had heightened the risk of landslides.
The landslide struck Gidipabali, a remote hilltop settlement in Ganjam district, following heavy rainfall triggered by Cyclone Arnab. Boulders and debris strewn across the area have made the search operation difficult. At least ten people remain missing after a landslide swept away a hamlet on the Ganjam-Kandhamal border on October 28. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said 13 of the 25 people in Gidipabali managed to reach safety as rainfall intensified on Wednesday night, triggering the landslide.
