Odisha launches search for 12 missing after landslide in Gidipabali village
Rescue operations are underway in a village bordering Ganjam and Kandhamal districts following a landslide triggered by cyclone Arnab.
The Odisha government has launched a search operation for 12 people missing after a rain-triggered landslide struck Gidipabali village on Friday, according to the Deccan Herald. The landslide occurred in the Bhanjanagar block of Ganjam district, near the border of Kandhamal district, during heavy rains caused by cyclone Arnab.
Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P Patil said the hilltop village was home to 26 people. While 13 residents managed to escape, 13 others were reported missing, though one person has since been traced. The search operation has been active since Friday night.
More than 170 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force, and Special Operation Group are involved in the search. Revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari announced that an Indian Navy helicopter equipped with advanced technology would also be used to assist the operation.
The landslide was one of 10 such incidents caused by the cyclone. In Kandhamal district, three people, including a nine-month-old baby, died in a separate landslide on Friday, while one person was found dead in Gajapati.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi stated that rescue and relief operations have been intensified in flood-affected districts like Ganjam. Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik expressed sadness over the loss of life and urged the government to take swift steps for rescue and restoration of normal life.