Twelve people missing after landslide hits Ganjam village in Odisha
Search operations are underway in Gidipabali village as rescue teams mobilise to find missing residents following heavy rainfall.
Twelve people remain missing after a landslide struck Gidipabali village in the Bhanjanagar block of Ganjam district in the early hours of Friday, according to The New Indian Express. The landslide occurred in a hilltop hamlet that had a population of approximately 26 people.
Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said an elderly woman had been traced, while 12 others remain missing. He noted that 13 people had been relocated following heavy rainfall before the landslide struck.
Between 160 and 170 personnel from the Fire Services, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), and the Special Operation Group (SOG) of Odisha Police have been mobilised for the search. Revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari announced that a Navy helicopter would be used to assist the operation.
In a separate incident in Dangesi village under Raikia block in Kandhamal district, three members of a family, including an infant, died after a landslide swept away their house on Thursday. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced ex gratia assistance of Rs 4 lakh for each of the three deceased.
The Indian Express reported that one person also died in Gajapati district due to rain-related incidents. In Ganjam, around 40,000 displaced persons were taking shelter in 367 relief camps as more than a lakh people were affected by floods.