Cyclone Arnab death toll in Odisha rises to 6
Two bodies were recovered from a landslide-hit village in southern Odisha on Sunday as search operations continue for missing persons.
The death toll from Cyclone Arnab in Odisha has reached six following the recovery of two bodies from Gidipabali village on Sunday, according to reports by ThePrint and Odisha Bytes. The landslide-hit hilltop village, located on the border of Ganjam and Kandhamal districts, was levelled by sludge and debris caused by heavy rainfall earlier this week.
Kandhamal District Collector Vedbhusan stated that approximately 13 people who escaped the landslide are being sheltered at a relief centre near G Udaygiri. Officials are currently searching for 10 missing people in the area.
A rescue team comprising 177 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), Fire Service, Special Operation Group, railways, and the Indian Navy is sifting through mud and stones. Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P Patil said teams are employing the railways' chain pulley system and the Odisha fire department's seismic life detection unit to assist in the evacuation and search.
The state has recorded 10 landslide incidents due to the incessant rain from the cyclone, which made landfall in Andhra Pradesh on October 28. Earlier, three family members died in a Kandhamal landslide and one man was swept away by water in Gajapati district.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the government is taking all possible measures to save those missing. Leader of the opposition Naveen Patnaik expressed his condolences and urged the government to ensure swift rescue efforts.