Kandhamala: A schoolteacher who had gone missing in floodwaters during Cyclone Arnab was rescued from a forest area in Odisha’s Kandhamala district after nearly 15 days, sources said Sunday.
The teacher, identified as Mohan Maharana, was rescued by local residents and carried to Raikia Community Health Centre (CHC) along an 8-9-kilometre hilly route on a sling. Two cattle grazers from Ratangi village had spotted him and alerted Raikia police. Maharana is currently undergoing treatment at the health centre.
Maharana, a teacher at Duba Primary School in Raikia block, was staying at Sunthia. According to him, he was cooking in the evening when he heard someone calling him from outside. When he stepped out, he found water everywhere and was swept away by the floodwaters in the darkness, unable to recognise where he was going or what had happened.
He was reportedly swept away to a forest area. He said he regained consciousness the following morning and found himself on a dry riverbed surrounded by piles of stones, with only spring water nearby. “I survived by drinking the water for about 15 days and repeatedly called for help, but nobody heard me. I remained conscious but could neither move away nor find my way back because there was no accessible path,” he said.
According to Maharana’s brother, he survived without food for nearly 15 days and lost around 10-15 kg during the ordeal.
PNN