BHADRAK : In a dramatic tale of survival amid the devastating deluge in Bhadrak district, a man who was reportedly swept away by powerful flood currents on August 13 was rescued alive on Tuesday after spending five days clinging desperately to a palm tree.
A resident of Balipatana village under Arjunpur gram panchayat in Dhamnagar block, Sunanda Behera, aged between 35 and 40 years, had reportedly gone missing after being swept away by the surging floodwaters. Despite frantic searches by villagers, there was no trace of him, raising fears that he may not have survived.
However on Tuesday, some villagers travelling by boat through Bajapati field area spotted a man clinging to a toddy palm tree amid the floodwaters. To their surprise, the man turned out to be Sunanda.
The villagers immediately alerted the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF). A rescue team reached the spot and launched an operation. After considerable efforts, the rescuers managed to pull Sunanda to safety. He was found in an extremely weak and exhausted condition after reportedly surviving five days without food while clinging to the tree.
Sources said Sunanda’s hands and legs were trembling when the rescuers brought him ashore. He was immediately taken to a nearby hospital where doctors began treatment. His condition is reported to be serious.