Two die in Odisha flash floods, 6,000 Bonda tribes affected

At least two women died while as many villagers managed to survive after being swept away in a flash flood due to incessant rainfall in Odisha's Malkangiri district, official sources said today.
About 6,672 Bonda tribes remain cut off from rest of the world as the road connecting to Bonda Hills was washed away in the calamity.
"Of the four persons swept away in the flash flood in river Oringi yesterday, bodies of two women are recovered while the remaining two of the same village returned home today," said special relief commissioner (SRC) P K Mohapatra.
The deceased were identified as Malati (42) and Phulmani (42), Mohapatra said adding that Bonda Hills, the home of about 12,000 Bonda tribes, a particularly vulnerable tribal group remained out of reach because of the landslide and washing away of the only road.

While the tribes men and women in Upper Banda Hill remained safe, about 6,672 Bondas living in plain located in Khairput and Undrahal gram panchayats have been affected due to incessant rainfall since two days, Malkangiri district collector M Muthukumar told PTI over phone.
He claimed that there was no casualty from Bonda community though they had been disconnected due to landslide.
The collector, however, said that at least 10 teams of officials have been instructed to reach the affected Bonda tribes by walking on foot. "We will be able to start free kitchen for Bonda tribals tomorrow morning," the collector said.