Odisha floods triggered by heavy rain after Cyclone Arnab have killed three members of a family in Kandhamal, left 13 villagers missing in Ganjam and disrupted road connectivity across several southern districts, officials and local authorities said. Hundreds of villages were marooned, while traffic on the Kolkata–Chennai NH-16 stopped for more than 12 hours near the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border.
Achyuta Pradhan, 30, his wife Manshi, 25, and their one-year-old son were killed when a landslide buried their hilltop house at Dangesi in Raikia block, Kandhamal. Special relief commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil confirmed the deaths. The three are suspected to have died on Thursday, while their bodies were recovered on Friday.
Police and fire services personnel trekked about six kilometres through muddy terrain to reach the affected village. Firefighters rescued two people, including an elderly woman. At least six villages, including Dangesi in Manikeswari panchayat, remained cut off after landslides were reported in the area and at Kalinga Ghat. Panchayati raj minister Rabi Narayan Nayak, who was overseeing restoration work in Kandhamal, was unable to reach Dangesi because the approach road had been severed.
In Ganjam, 13 people were reported missing in Gadipapalli, but rescue teams had not reached the inaccessible village. “We have received information about some persons missing in Gadipapalli, but we have no information about their number,” said Uma Shankar Behera, sub-collector, Bhanjanagar. Raikia police station inspector-in-charge Swarnalata Patra said the situation would become clearer after rescue teams returned.
The flooding also disrupted one of eastern India’s key road links. The swollen Bahuda river overflowed onto the Barkul–Ichapuram stretch of NH-16 near the Odisha-Andhra Pradesh border, stranding trucks, buses and cars along a 50-kilometre stretch for more than 12 hours. At least two trucks were stuck in floodwaters, while Andhra Pradesh police placed barricades to prevent vehicles from entering the inundated section. Vehicle movement towards Andhra Pradesh resumed around noon in coordination with the state police, Berhampur superintendent of police Abhinav Sonkar said.
Government figures put the number of people affected at 42,564 in Ganjam, 30,000 in Gajapati and 12,000 in Kandhamal. Koraput and Rayagada were also significantly affected. ODRAF, NDRF and fire services teams have been deployed, while helicopters are being used for rescue operations and food distribution. Vulnerable and low-lying communities are being moved to safer locations, with pregnant women receiving priority healthcare and medicines.
The Rushikulya river entered the sub-divisional hospital at Aska, flooding it with seven to eight feet of water. About 35 patients, including 15 women who had recently delivered babies, were shifted to the first floor. Medical officer Balgopal Mishra said floodwater damaged equipment in the operation theatre and labour room, and that normal operations could take several days to resume. District administrations have begun repairing roads and culverts as floodwaters recede, but a detailed assessment of damage to infrastructure and standing crops is still pending.
