Twelve people are missing after a landslide hit Gidipabali village on the Ganjam-Kandhamal border. Heavy rains caused 10 landslides across Odisha, killing four people. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said, "Rescue and relief operations are being intensified in flood-affected districts." Search teams continue to look for the missing as relief work expands.
The landslide at Gidipabali village was one of 10 such incidents during the heavy rain.
Three people, including a nine-month-old baby, died in another landslide in Kandhamal district on Friday. A fourth body was recovered from Gajapati district.
Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P Patil said that out of the 26 residents of a hilltop village affected by the landslide, only 13 managed to escape.
The relentless rains have also caused flooding in hundreds of villages across southern Odisha.
Power infrastructure was severely damaged, with over 15,000 electricity poles uprooted.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said rescue and relief operations are being intensified in flood-affected districts, with the safety of residents being the top priority.
Leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik expressed his sorrow over the landslides and urged the government to take swift action for rescue operations.
Survivors from Gidipabali village are now taking shelter at a relief center near G Udaygiri in Kandhamal.
One survivor, Rinima Mallik, described how a huge mass of sludge buried houses and devastated their village.
Ganjam district collector V Keerthi Vasan said relief work is being expedited in Aska and other parts of the district.
Drinking water tankers have been deployed, and bottled water has been distributed to help affected residents.
Search teams continue their efforts to locate the 12 missing people as rescue and relief work continues across rain-affected districts.