248 students rescued from flood-hit school in Odisha after 4 days: Official

On Wednesday, a team from the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force successfully rescued 248 students from an Ashram school in Kendrapara district, who had been stranded for four days due to rising floodwaters. The rescue operation, conducted using two powerboats, took place in Kulashahi, where the Brahmani river's strong and rapid floodwaters submerging the first floor of the school.

Kendrapara district collector Raghuram Aiyar confirmed the rescue, stating that the students were taken to two residential schools in the neighboring Aul block. The rescue took a few hours and arrangements were made for the students' food and refreshments, as shared by Pattamundai block education officer Ajit Kar.

On Saturday, 284 students of a residential school housing SC/ST students were also stranded, with floodwaters from the Brahmani river inundating the Kulasahi area and submerging the first floor of the Ashram school. Headmaster Soumendra Das explained that the students were shifted to the second floor, where they remained safe due to the school's stocked food supplies for a week.

However, the students faced challenges in performing daily activities such as bathing, obtaining drinking water, and using the toilet, as admitted one of the rescued students. Sanjay Mallick, a concerned parent, expressed his frustration, stating that he had been sleepless for the past two nights due to his 12-year-old son being stranded in the school, urging the authorities to rescue the remaining students immediately.