5 killed in landslides in Odisha amid Cyclone Arnab aftermath; 10 missing: Officials

Five people died in landslide-related incidents at separate places in Odisha following torrential rain triggered in the aftermath of Cyclone Arnab, while ten others remain missing in Ganjam district, officials said on Sunday.

At least ten people remain missing after a landslide swept away a hamlet on the Ganjam-Kandhamal border on October 28. (ANI photo)The state government has begun the process of evacuation of people from landslide-prone areas of Gajapati ahead of Cyclone Murasu’s expected landfall on Wednesday.

At least ten people remain missing after a landslide swept away a hamlet on the Ganjam-Kandhamal border on October 28. The landslide struck Gidipabali, a remote hilltop settlement in Ganjam district, following heavy rainfall triggered by Cyclone Arnab.

The fire services personnel recovered two bodies under the debris in Gidipabali on Sunday. Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said 13 of the 25 people in Gidipabali managed to reach safety as rainfall intensified on Wednesday night, triggering the landslide.

The incident came to light only after ten survivors reached officials in neighbouring Kandhamal district on Friday evening and reported the landslide. Boulders and debris strewn across the area have made the search operation difficult.

In Kandhamal district, three members of a family, including a nine-month-old infant, were killed after a massive landslide on Friday. The bodies of Achyut Pradhan (30), his wife Manasi Pradhan (27) and their nine-month-old infant son were recovered from beneath debris and slush on Friday evening.

With landslides turning out to be a big concern, the state government on Sunday intensified preparedness measures in Gajapati district, where around 150 landslide-prone locations have been identified. “Evacuation work has already started today.

Instructions have been issued to complete the process in all identified vulnerable locations by tomorrow afternoon,” he said, adding that saturated soil following days of rain had heightened the risk of landslides. Regional director of IMD Bhubaneswar, Dr Manorama Mohanty said though severe cyclonic storm Murasu would make landfall at Andhra coast on Wednesday between Nellore and Naraspur, it would trigger massive rainfall in southern Odisha districts of Ganjam and Gajapati from Tuesday.

“Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected at isolated places in Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada, Koraput and Malkangiri districts on Tuesday as well as Wednesday. Heavy rainfall is also likely at one or two places in Nabarangpur, Kalahandi, Kandhamal, Nayagarh, Khordha and Puri districts,” she said.

A total of 1,18,730 people have been affected by the disaster, with Ganjam and Kandhamala being the worst affected districts. Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades.

With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions.

He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha.

His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states.

His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections.

In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More