Odisha launches search for 12 missing after rain-triggered landslide

170 personnel from NDRF, ODRAF and Special Operation Group deployed in Ganjam district; 13 villagers escaped while one of the 13 initially reported missing has been traced

The Odisha government launched a search operation for 12 people who went missing after a rain-triggered landslide struck a village bordering Ganjam and Kandhamal districts a day ago, officials said on Saturday.

Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P Patil said altogether, 170 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and Special Operation Group have been engaged in the operation to locate the missing people.

"A hilltop village was home to 26 people. Thirteen of them managed to escape from the landslide, while 13 others went missing. One of the missing people has been traced, and others are still untraceable. The search operation has been going on since Friday night," Patil told reporters here on Saturday.

The landslide at Gidipabali village under the Baibali panchayat in Ganjam's Bhanjanagar block was among the 10 such incidents that occurred during incessant rain triggered by cyclone Arnab.

Heavy rain inundated hundreds of villages in the state's southern part.

Three people, including a nine-month-old baby, died in a landslide in Kandhamal district on Friday, while a person was found dead in Gajapati, the special relief commissioner said.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said rescue and relief operations have been intensified in flood-affected districts, including Ganjam, with the safety and well-being of people given top priority.

"People are being shifted to safer locations, while essential facilities are ensured at relief camps. The administration and rescue teams remain actively engaged in providing all possible assistance to those affected," Majhi said in a social media post.

Taking to X, Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik said he was "deeply saddened to learn of the tragic incident of landslides in Odisha's Kandhamal district due to the impact of cyclone Arnnab, resulting in the loss of several lives and many people going missing".

"I urge the government to swiftly ensure all necessary steps are taken for the rescue of the people and to facilitate the restoration of normal life," he said.

The thirteen people who managed to escape the landslide at Gidipabali village took shelter at a relief centre near G Udaygiri of Kandhamal.

Kandhamal district collector Vedbhusan said two children are among them.

According to one of the survivors, a huge mass of sludge cascaded down the hills, burying houses and leaving the entire village devastated.

"Some of us managed to run away from the place, and others were following us. But they could not reach here," said Rinima Mallik at the relief centre.

Another survivor Soudamini Mallik said some of her relatives remain missing and requested the administration to save their lives.

"All those who survived had sustained injuries after being hit by the stones," she claimed.

G Udayagiri Block Development Officer Satyanarayan Mishra said the two injured women - Samita Mallik and Manima Pradhan - have been shifted to a health centre.

Ganjam district collector V Keerthi Vasan said relief work has been expedited in Aska and other parts of the district.

"The overall situation is improving in Aska with coordinated efforts to restore normalcy," the collector said, adding that 10 drinking water tankers and around 30,000 bottles were distributed till Friday evening.