Rescue teams search for people buried in Ganjam landslide as house-sized boulders hamper work

Rescue work is under way in the Bhanjanagar area of Ganjam district in Odisha to find people buried under debris after a landslide. There is hope that some of those under the rubble are alive, and modern equipment is being used to locate them. Despite bad weather, rescue teams worked through Monday and late into the night. Work resumed on Tuesday morning.

Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, giving details of the operation, expressed hope that the missing people would be safe. He said new and advanced equipment was being used to look for signs of life under the debris. He added that he was praying to Mahaprabhu Jagannath that the missing people would be found soon and brought out safely.

According to Sudhanshu Sarangi, Director General of Odisha Fire Service and Home Guards, the operation is under way in Bhanjanagar subdivision of Ganjam district. However, the route to the site has to be taken from the Kandhamal district side.

In the landslide, thick layers of hill soil and very large boulders slid down onto houses. Some boulders are as big as houses, so they cannot be removed directly. Until these boulders are moved aside, clearing the soil debris is also difficult.

The path to the site is narrow and muddy, and even walking is hard. Rescue teams are therefore taking a long time to reach it. There is no proper arrangement for the teams to stay, so they have to return after working for a limited time.

About 250 personnel from different agencies are deployed at the site, including teams from the Fire Service, railway staff, the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), Odisha Police and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF). They are being helped by around 100 labourers.

One body has been recovered so far in the disaster. The family identified it, and the last rites were performed at the family's request. Another body has been sighted, but it could not yet be pulled out because of the heavy layer of soil on it. Meanwhile, the rescue teams are searching with both the fear and the hope that some more people under the debris may be alive. Sarangi said further information would be given as the rescue work progressed.

The severe landslide struck Gidipabali village in Ganjam district on October 28, when unusually heavy rain was falling because of Cyclone "Arnab". About 13 people were reported missing after the disaster, and rescue teams are making every effort to find them.