Odisha: Two bodies found at landslide-hit Gidipabali, Arnab toll rises to six as state announces relief

Rescue teams recovered two bodies on Sunday from Gidipabali, a small hilltop village on the border of Odisha's Ganjam and Kandhamal districts that was largely buried by a landslide triggered by Cyclone Arnab's rain. Ten people remain missing, officials said.

The recoveries take the state's toll from Arnab to six. Three members of one family had earlier died in a landslide in Kandhamal, and one man was swept away by floodwater in Gajapati district.

Search continues in difficult terrain

More than 150 personnel from the NDRF, the state's ODRAF, the Fire Service, the Special Operation Group and the railways have been combing through rock and mud at the site. Officials said the search would continue. Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P Patil said teams were using seismic life-detection equipment.

Patil said Arnab, which made landfall in Andhra Pradesh on October 28, and the floods that followed affected about 1.18 lakh people in Odisha, damaged 75,388 hectares of crops and 1,672 houses, and set off at least 10 landslides. Ganjam and Kandhamal were the worst-hit districts.

Relief package for affected families

After reviewing the damage, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi announced 50 kg of rice and Rs 2,500 for each affected family. The package also includes input subsidies for farmers who lost at least a third of their crop, at Rs 8,500 a hectare for unirrigated land and Rs 17,000 a hectare for irrigated land, along with assistance for damaged houses, livestock, boats and nets, small shops and weavers. The government said the package could be revised after a detailed assessment.

An eight-member inter-ministerial central team is due to assess the damage in Odisha from November 2 to 4.

Fresh alert as Murasu approaches

The relief effort now overlaps with preparations for Cyclone Murasu, which is forecast to cross the Andhra Pradesh coast overnight. The Bhubaneswar Meteorological Centre said rain in Odisha would begin on Monday, intensify on Tuesday and continue into Wednesday. Southern districts, including Ganjam, are on high alert, evacuations have been ordered from low-lying and landslide-prone hill settlements, and Malkangiri has shut schools, colleges and anganwadi centres until November 4.

Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said the government was fully prepared and urged people not to panic. Patil has described landslides as a major challenge for the state.