Odisha searches for 12 missing after Cyclone Arnab landslide
Over 40,000 displaced residents now depend on Odisha relief camps
Overview
Torrential rain from turned flooding in southern Odisha into a deadly landslide crisis. At , on the Ganjam-Kandhamal border, 13 residents reached a relief centre near G Udayagiri. One person first reported missing was found, but 12 remained unaccounted for. About 160 to 170 , , Fire Services and personnel searched the unstable debris. Heavy equipment and specialist teams helped, but rain and blocked roads slowed them. Officials had not confirmed whether the missing people were rescued or killed.
Flooding and landslides also killed three people in Kandhamal and one in Gajapati. More than 100,000 people in Ganjam were affected. Nearly 40,000 people were staying in 367 relief camps, and aircraft were delivering supplies. The urgent tasks are reaching hilltop settlements, feeding and protecting people who fled, and deciding when they can return while rain continues.
Timeline
Odisha continues searching for 12 missing Gidipabali residents as rain hampers access
The latest official updates still listed 12 people as missing after one initially unaccounted-for resident was traced. Search teams continued clearing and examining the landslide area, while authorities focused on reaching hilltop communities, maintaining camps and delivering supplies. No further recovery or confirmation of the 12 missing people was reported in the available updates.
Odisha uses aircraft and specialist teams to support flood relief and searches
The Indian Navy and deployed four helicopters to airdrop food packets in flood-hit Ganjam. Ground teams continued using rescue personnel and heavy equipment where roads and hill routes allowed access. Authorities kept evacuations, supply delivery and searches active while rain and inundation complicated operations.
Ganjam expands relief operations to 367 camps serving nearly 40,000 people
Ganjam had 367 sheltering about 39,619 people, according to official updates. Camps supplied food and other essential facilities to residents displaced by flooding. Officials also reported more than 100,000 people affected across the district in one update, reflecting the emergency's broader scale.
Gidipabali survivors take shelter near G Udayagiri
The 13 residents who escaped the landslide reached a relief centre near . Authorities provided immediate shelter and essential assistance while search teams worked at the damaged hilltop hamlet. Access to other exposed settlements remained an operational challenge.
Rain-related landslides kill three people in Kandhamal and one in Gajapati
Officials reported three rain-related deaths in Kandhamal and an additional death in Gajapati. The fatalities showed that the Gidipabali incident was part of a wider disaster involving floods, saturated slopes and multiple landslide locations. Rescue and relief operations continued across the affected districts.
Odisha deploys about 160 to 170 personnel for the Gidipabali search
The state assembled roughly 160 to 170 personnel from the NDRF, ODRAF, Fire Services and the . The search began overnight and was intensified to locate the 12 missing people. Teams faced unstable terrain, continuing rain and difficult access to the hilltop settlement.
Authorities trace one Gidipabali resident and reduce the missing count to 12
Officials said one of the 13 people initially reported missing had been traced. Twelve people remained unaccounted for as teams continued searching through landslide debris. The 13 survivors moved to a relief centre near G Udayagiri in Kandhamal.
A landslide strikes Gidipabali on the Ganjam-Kandhamal border
A rain-triggered hit the hilltop hamlet of Gidipabali in Bhanjanagar block. The settlement had 26 residents, 13 of whom escaped and reached safety, while 13 others were initially reported unaccounted for. The incident turned the wider flood emergency into a focused missing-person search.
Odisha authorities expand rescue operations as flooding isolates communities
The state deployed , and Fire Services teams across several rain-affected districts. Thousands of residents were moved to safer locations as floodwater disrupted access and multiple landslide sites were reported. Relief centres began receiving people from exposed settlements.
Cyclone Arnab drives torrential rain and flooding across southern Odisha
Heavy rain linked to flooded parts of Ganjam, Gajapati and Kandhamal and created dangerous conditions in hill areas. Officials reported about 42,564 affected residents in Ganjam, 30,000 in Gajapati and 12,000 in Kandhamal. Authorities began evacuating people from vulnerable and low-lying areas and distributing food, drinking water and other essentials.