KENDRAPARA: The administration on Wednesday rescued around 220 students and six teachers who were stranded in a flooded government-run residential school in Pattamundai block for the past four days.
The Ashram school at Kulasahi village under Penthapala gram panchayat was surrounded by nearly 10 feet of floodwater after Brahmani river breached its banks following heavy monsoon rain.
The stranded students and teachers were holed up in the first floor of the school building after floodwaters submerged the ground floor. They were rescued by the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and fire services personnel.
Kendrapara collector Raghuram R Iyer said rescue teams comprising 15 emergency personnel safely evacuated all the students of Kulasahi Ashram school using four boats. The boats, equipped with life jackets, ropes and other safety equipment, reached the marooned school at 9 am after crossing the swirling floodwaters.
The rescue operation continued for nearly four hours, during which all the students and teachers were evacuated to safer locations. The students were examined by a team of doctors and none was found to be ill. They were subsequently shifted to another residential school at Mahadeipatana village.
The two-storey school building had been battling strong currents since Saturday after floodwater rapidly entered its ground floor. Located in a low-lying area close to the riverbank, the 15-year-old school frequently faces waterlogging during floods, said headmaster Soumendra Das, who had remained at the school since Saturday.
The prolonged delay in rescuing the students had left parents and guardians deeply worried. They heaved a sigh of relief after the safe evacuation of the stranded children.
Meanwhile, condition of villagers in the flood-hit Penthapala panchayat continued to remain miserable. “Incessant rain over the past three days has added to the problems of residents,” said Penthapala sarpanch Annapurna Sethi.