PHULBANI/BERHAMPUR: Bodies of five members of a family, including four children buried beneath massive boulders, were recovered from landslide-hit Gidapabali village in Ganjam, in a major breakthrough in the six-day-long rescue operation on Thursday. The official toll in the tragic incident has now risen to seven.
The deceased were identified as Bhumika Pradhan (22), Bijay Pradhan (15), Bagri Pradhan (14), Aruna Pradhan (7) and Bijaylaxmi Pradhan (6). Their identities were confirmed in the presence of family members.
Respecting the wishes of the bereaved families, the last rites of all five victims were performed at the rescue site. The administration has assured all possible assistance to the surviving family members, including rehabilitation support as per government norms.
While two bodies had been recovered earlier, another six persons remain missing out of the 13 reported trapped in the landslide.
Suspended for a day amid mounting difficulties and concerns over the safety of rescuers, the search operation resumed on Thursday with an 80-member team of the rescue personnel.
Kandhamal collector Ved Bhushan said improving weather conditions helped accelerate the rescue operation, with fresh landslides subsiding in the area. Around 100 personnel from the fire services, ODRAF, NDRF and the administrations of Ganjam and Kandhamal districts are now engaged in the search.
The recovery has brought fresh hope to grieving families who had refused to accept symbolic funerals for their missing relatives, insisting that the bodies must first be brought out from beneath the earth. On Wednesday, the families had turned down the administration’s proposal to perform symbolic last rites for the 11 missing villagers.
Officials said the rescue operation is being hampered by massive boulders, some reportedly as large as houses, difficult terrain and the absence of road connectivity. Heavy machinery cannot reach the site, making the removal of debris challenging. Plans to conduct controlled blasting could not materialise in absence of motorable roads to move equipment. Attempts to manually break the boulders too did not work, prompting fire services and ODRAF personnel to dig through the debris.
The rescue operation would continue over the coming days to trace the remaining missing persons, the collector added.
