The death toll from Cyclone Arnab’s aftermath in Odisha rose to four after rescuers recovered the body of a 20-year-old man from the Mahendra Tanaya river in Gajapati district, while search operations continued for 12 villagers missing after landslides near the Ganjam-Kandhamal border.
The body of Premanand Gamanga, a resident of Badasada village, was found on Friday afternoon, according to Pramod Kumar Khandual, inspector in charge of Rayagada police station. Gamanga had been missing since Tuesday after he went to cross the swollen Mahendra Tanaya river while returning to his village. His decomposed body was sent for post-mortem on Saturday.
The recovery came as district administrations continued a major search operation at Gadipapali, a hilltop village near the Ganjam-Kandhamal border. Around 170 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force, fire services and police have been deployed in the operation, according to official sources cited by The Times of India.
Gadipapali has around 25 residents. Twelve villagers had left for Kandhamal after heavy rain began on the night of October 27 and were staying safely at a temporary shelter. The remaining 13 people were in the village when the landslide struck. An elderly woman, identified as Tarabati Pradhan, was rescued, while the other 12 residents remained unaccounted for.
The landslide followed extreme rainfall under the influence of Cyclone Arnab. Search teams were working in difficult conditions, with Ganjam collector Keerthi Vasan V saying that rain resumed in the area on Saturday afternoon and could hamper the operation. The affected villages are located in hilly terrain, where landslides and disrupted access can complicate the movement of rescue personnel and equipment.
Three other people died in a separate landslide at Dakesi, a hilltop village under Raikia block of Kandhamal district. The victims were a couple and their one-year-old son. Their bodies were recovered on Friday, Kandhamal collector Ved Bhusan said.
Another search operation was launched in Gajapati district on Saturday after a 61-year-old man went missing in a river at Jeeranga. Police suspect that he may have slipped into the river while taking a bath. Fire services personnel were conducting the search to locate him.
The continuing operations involve multiple district and emergency-response agencies as authorities deal with landslide debris, swollen rivers and renewed rainfall. The Ganjam and Kandhamal district administrations are coordinating the search for the 12 missing villagers, while fire services personnel are separately looking for the missing man in Jeeranga.
