Five killed in Odisha landslides after cyclone rain, ten missing

Five people died in landslide incidents across parts of Odisha following heavy rain from Cyclone Arnab, while ten people remain missing in Ganjam district. The missing people are from Gidipabali, a hilltop settlement where a landslide swept away a hamlet on the Ganjam-Kandhamal border on October 28. Fire services personnel recovered two bodies from the debris there on Sunday. Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh Prabhakar Patil said 13 of the 25 people in the hamlet reached safety after the slide happened on Wednesday night. Ten survivors reported the incident to officials in Kandhamal district on Friday evening. In Kandhamal district, a separate landslide on Friday killed three members of the same family, including a nine-month-old infant. Officials recovered the bodies of 30-year-old Achyut Pradhan, his wife Manasi Pradhan, and their infant son from beneath debris and slush. A total of 1,18,730 people are affected by the disaster in the state, with Ganjam and Kandhamal facing the worst impact. The state government started evacuating residents from vulnerable areas in Gajapati district on Sunday, where authorities identified about 150 landslide-prone locations. Officials ordered the evacuation process in these spots to finish by Monday afternoon due to soil saturated by days of rain.

Context

Odisha's coastal and southern districts face recurring heavy rainfall and cyclone threats from the Bay of Bengal, making soil stability a major concern during monsoon and storm seasons. State disaster management teams routinely enforce mass evacuations in low-lying and hilly zones before major weather systems make landfall to prevent loss of life. Meteorological authorities track multiple successive weather disturbances to issue early warnings for vulnerable regions.