Search underway for 12 people missing in landslide-hit southern Odisha village
Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P. Patil said altogether, 170 personnel of the National Disaster Response Force, Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force and Special Operation Group have been engaged in the operation to locate the missing people
A search operation is underway in the southern Odisha village of Gidipabali after a landslide struck the area, leaving 12 people missing, officials announced on Saturday (October 31, 2026). The landslide occurred following heavy rains triggered by cyclone Arnab, which has caused severe damage across Ganjam and Gajapati districts.
170 personnel from various disaster response teams have been deployed to locate the missing individuals. One of the missing people has been found, while the whereabouts of the others remain unknown. The landslide affected a hilltop village home to 26 people, with 13 managing to escape and the remaining 13 going missing. A nine-month-old baby also died in a landslide in Kandhamal district on Friday (October 30, 2026).
Three other fatalities have been reported in Gajapati. Rescue and relief operations have been intensified, with helicopters dropping food packets in affected areas.
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