At least one person died and two others went missing due to landslide as heavy rains lashed Odisha under low pressure over Bay of Bengal. Heavy rains affected normal life in the state with widespread waterlogging in several areas. The intensity of the rain increased as the depression crossed the state’s coast near Gopalpur in Ganjam district on Thursday evening.
Rain alert issued for 16 districts in Odisha
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a 'red' alert of extremely heavy rainfall in seven districts, an 'orange' warning for 16 and a 'yellow' alert for the remaining seven districts. Almost all parts of the state have been receiving heavy rain since Wednesday, especially the coastal and southern regions.
“One person died and two others went missing in landslides at six places in Gajapati due to incessant rain for the past two days. The deceased was buried under the rubble on Thursday after a landslide took place in an area under the R Udaygiri Police Station limits,” SP Jatindra Kumar Panda told PTI over the phone.
Seventy-year-old Kartika Shabara and his son Rajib Shabara went missing as a landslide struck in an area near Pekat under the Rayagarh block in the district, the SP said. "Rescue operations are being carried out. The roads connecting Rayagarh with Nuagarh and R Udaygiri have been cut off," he said.
24 tourists rescued from Mahendragiri Hills
Twenty-four tourists were rescued from the Mahendragiri Hills as they were stranded due to a landslide, he said. In view of severe damage due to heavy rain, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi asked Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhasan Jena to reach the district and oversee the rescue operation. Majhi also directed the special relief commissioner to provide immediate assistance required by the district administration.
An official release issued by the CMO said, "The water levels in various rivers have increased in Gajapati district, posing a risk of inundation of many areas. The CM spoke to the Gajapati district collector and inquired about the situation."
Two persons suffered injury after a decorative bamboo gate, erected on the occasion of Durga Puja at Balikuda, collapsed, and they were admitted to a local community health centre, police said.
Landslides reported in Gajapti, Rayagada, Koraput
State revenue department officials said that heavy rain triggered landslides in Gajapti, Rayagada and Koraput districts, while some trees fell in Ganjam.
According to sources in East Coast Railway (ECoR), train services were affected in southern Odisha due to incessant rains and the falling of boulders in various parts of the Kottavalasa-Kirandul and Koraput- Rayagada line of the Waltair Division.
The Visakhapatnam-Kirandul Night Express leaving Visakhapatnam was cancelled on Thursday, while the Kirandul-Visakhapatnam train, leaving Kirandul on October 2, was short-terminated up to Koraput.
The Santragachi-Yesvantpur Weekly Express was rescheduled. Rainwater submerged a bridge in the Koraput district, disrupting vehicular movement on National Highway 326, connecting Odisha with Andhra Pradesh, the officials said.
The administration deployed disaster management teams and machinery in vulnerable districts to tackle the situation, and fishermen have been advised not to venture into the sea along and off the Odisha coast till October 3, the officials said.
With inputs from PTI
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