Bhubaneswar: Two individuals lost their lives, and two others are unaccounted for due to rain-related incidents caused by a depression in Gajapati district, officials reported on Friday. The victims were identified as Trinath Nayak from Bastriaguda gram panchayat and Laxman Nayak from Meripalli gram panchayat. Trinath died in a landslide at Bastriaguda under the R Udayagiri police station, while Laxman drowned in Ludru Nala, according to an official statement. Gajapati District Collector Madhumita shared on X that Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed sorrow over the fatalities and has instructed that financial aid of Rs 4 lakh each be granted to the families of the deceased from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
In parallel, the district administration, aided by police and Fire Services personnel, has initiated a search operation for a father and son, Kartika Sabar (70) and his son Rajib, who went missing following a landslide near Mohulsahi, Pekata. Teams from Rayagada police, ODRAF, and fire services are involved in the search. A senior official noted that six Fire Services teams and a dog squad are participating in the efforts, but there has been no sign of the missing individuals. State Transport and Commerce Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena visited Gajapati district to meet Sabar’s family and inspected the impacted areas, indicating concern that they might be trapped under the landslide debris.
According to the IMD’s 5:30 pm bulletin, the depression over interior Odisha has moved nearly northward and is currently located about 20 km south-southeast of Raigarh (Chhattisgarh) and 50 km west-northwest of Sambalpur (Odisha). The IMD predicts that it will continue to move northward across interior Odisha and adjacent north Chhattisgarh, gradually weakening into a well-marked low pressure within the next 12 hours. Three days of relentless rain have led to significant damage in southern Odisha, with over two dozen villages isolated due to landslides, road blockages, and damaged bridges in Gajapati and Ganjam districts, as reported by a senior Revenue department official.
This continuous rainfall has resulted in destruction across many parts of the state, particularly in the south, leading to the deaths of two individuals, two others missing, and three injuries from a wall collapse. Gajapati has been the hardest hit, but other southern districts like Ganjam, Rayagada, Koraput, Nabarangpur, and Malkangiri have also experienced washed-out roads, rainwater over bridges, and uprooted trees. Communication with more than two dozen villages has been interrupted due to this natural disaster, according to a senior Revenue official. Train services on the Kottavalasa-Kirandul and Koraput-Rayagada routes have been disrupted due to boulders falling on the tracks amidst the heavy rainfall, as stated by an East Coast Railway (ECoR) official.
The IMD reported that Thuamual Rampur in Kalahandi recorded the highest rainfall of 352 mm in the past 24 hours until 8:30 am on Friday, while R Udayagiri and Gumma in Gajapati measured 291 mm and 211 mm, respectively. Junagarh in Kalahandi recorded 210 mm of rainfall. Ten locations experienced very heavy rainfall of 12-20 cm, and 42 places reported 7-11 cm. The IMD has forecast further rainfall across Odisha and has issued an ‘orange’ alert for heavy to very heavy rain in Sundargarh district, predicting thunderstorms and wind speeds of 30-40 km/h.