Twelve people missing after landslide hits Odisha hamlet
Rescue operations are underway at Gidipabali following a landslide triggered by Cyclone Arnab.
At least 12 people remain missing after a landslide swept through Gidipabali hamlet on the Ganjam-Kandhamal border on the night of October 28, according to The Pioneer and The New Indian Express. The landslide was triggered by heavy rainfall caused by Cyclone Arnab.
Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said on Saturday that 12 residents reached safety, while 13 were initially reported missing. One elderly woman, Tarabati Pradhan, has since been traced, leaving 12 people unaccounted for.
The disaster was discovered after 10 survivors reached officials in Kandhamal district on Friday evening. Ganjam district authorities faced difficulties accessing the remote hilltop settlement due to flooding and damaged roads.
Between 160 and 170 personnel from the NDRF, ODRAF, Fire Services, and Special Operations Group have been deployed. Kandhamal Superintendent of Police Ramendra Prasad said teams had to walk over seven kilometres through mud to reach the site.
An Indian Navy helicopter was deployed from G Udayagiri with specialised detection equipment, but adverse weather prevented it from landing. The equipment is being moved by road for use from Sunday morning.
The incident follows another landslide in Kandhamal's Raikia block on Thursday, which killed three people, including an infant.