Bhubaneswar: Twelve people died in a landslide triggered by cyclone Titli-induced heavy rain in Gajapati district, raising the death toll due to the storm to 15 in state, officials said Saturday.
The landslide occurred at Baraghara in the hilly Rayagada block where some villagers had taken shelter in a cave following very heavy rain Thursday evening, a senior official said.
The toll could increase further as three others are feared trapped under the debris. Some houses and other structures were also damaged in the landslide, he said.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, who conducted an aerial survey of Gajapati and two other districts, said, “I extend my deepest condolence to the bereaved families.’’
Senior BJD leader and former Union minister Chandra Shekhar Sahu, who visited the site, said he saw a dozen bodies and the toll may go up. He said local authorities had advised the villagers to move to safe shelters before the cyclone, but they apparently “refused’’.
Chief Secretary A P Padhi said a detailed report on the incident has been sought from Gajapati district collector and the affected families would be given financial assistance as per the norms.
Special Relief Commissioner B P Sethi said Gajapati superintendent of police, a sub-collector, NDRF personnel and medical team have rushed to the spot. He said it took a long time for the officials to reach the site, as the roads were blocked by uprooted trees and boulders. The cyclone had made landfall near Palasa Thursday, said an official. Meanwhile, rescue and relief operations gained momentum in the affected areas, officials said.
Sixteen districts have been affected by the flood and the cyclone. The Chief Minister has announced a monetary relief for people affected by the cyclone and the resultant flooding in Ganjam and Gajapati districts and Gunupur in Rayagada district.
“On an average a family of four will be assisted with more than `3,000 as relief,’’ Patnaik told reporters here. He said the relief amount will be provided at the rate of `60 per adult and `45 per child per day for 15 days. As many as 1,27,262 people were sheltered in 963 relief centres Friday, while the NDRF and the Orissa Disaster Rapid Action Force were deployed to speed up rescue and relief operations, Sethi said.
Two helicopters requisitioned from the Indian Navy are being engaged in air dropping operations in Purushottampur and Aska areas of Ganjam district, the officials said. The Chief Minister has directed Finance Minister Sashi Bhushan Behera and SC-ST Development Minister Ramesh Majhi to proceed to Kandhamal to monitor relief and restoration work, an official in the CMO said.
About 60 lakh people were affected in the cyclone and flood and normal life was badly hit in Ganjam, Gajapati and Rayagada districts, official sources said.
Ten persons were reported missing and a woman drowned while crossing a river in Rayagad block of Gajapati district, Saturday. Some villagers of Mada in Kainpur panchayat had taken shelter at a primary school during the cyclonic storm Wednesday. However, during the calamity rainwater came gushing down from a nearby hill and swept nine of them away. The missing persons are yet to be traced. K Dhangada Mandal of Odalingi in Lakshmipur panchayat drowned while crossing a river Friday. Babita Dora, a 7-year-old girl of Atangapur in Lakshmipur panchayat went missing after being swept away.
PTI
