Sunil Mohan Patnaik Brahmapur

Bringingan agonising chapter of tragedy, hope and relentless rescue efforts to an end, the search and rescue operation at landslide-ravaged Gidipabali village along the Ganjam-Kandhamala border has finally been called off, with six persons still remaining untraced beneath tonnes of mud, rocks and debris. Seven bodies have been recovered during the painstaking operation that continued for nearly two weeks following the devastating landslide triggered by cyclone Arnab.

The catastrophe struck around 3 am on October 28, when torrential rainfall triggered by cyclone Arnab unleashed successive landslides on Gangubali hill, sending a massive avalanche of mud, boulders, uprooted trees and water cascading down upon the small hilltop settlement under Baibali Gram Panchayat in Bhanjanagar block.Most of the houses in the hamlet were buried under the massive debris while residents were asleep. Of the 26 inhabitants, several managed to escape, while 13 persons were initially reported missing. One missing resident was subsequently located, leaving 12 persons unaccounted for.The scale of the disaster came to light after survivors negotiated difficult forest trails and reached a neighbouring shelter to alert the authorities. Flooded roads, inaccessible terrain and the absence of proper road connectivity delayed the movement of rescue teams and heavy equipment to the remote location.

Following the tragedy, the Odisha government launched a massive search and rescue operation on October 31, mobilising personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), Fire Services, District Voluntary Force and other agencies.Around 100 personnel were subsequently engaged in the painstaking operation, with additional specialised teams and technical experts assisting the mission at different stages.

Rescuers had to trek through difficult terrain and negotiate huge deposits of mud and rocks to reach the buried houses. The operation was further complicated by successive landslides that had dumped nearly 30 feet of debris over the affected settlement.

To locate the missing persons, the administration deployed sniffer dogs and advanced life-detection equipment, including seismic sensors, victim-location cameras, and ground-penetrating radar.An Indian Navy unit, alongside specialists from IIT and the Railways, joined the effort. Rescuers used controlled blasting and specialised drilling to break up house-sized boulders blocking buried homes.

However, the operation yielded limited results due to the deep debris and challenges in transporting heavy machinery.

After days of painstaking excavation, rescue teams recovered the first two bodies, identified as Sanman Pradhan (29) and Rabi Mallick (52).The recovery brought some relief to the waiting families but intensified their anguish over the fate of the remaining missing persons.

On November 5, rescuers achieved another significant breakthrough by recovering five more bodies from beneath the debris. The deceased included five members of a family — Bijaya Pradhan (25), Bhumika Pradhan (27), Aruna Pradhan (7), Bijayalaxmi Pradhan (6) and Bagri Pradhan (1). The recovery of the five bodies took the total number of recovered victims to seven, while six persons continued to remain missing.The families chose to perform the last rites of the recovered victims at the disaster site itself, adding another heartbreaking dimension to the tragedy.

On November 4, officials temporarily paused the operation after technical experts warned that further blasting could endanger rescue teams. Although they considered resuming the search once the weather improved, heavy debris and poor access for machinery made progress nearly impossible. Ultimately, following written requests from the families of the six missing persons, the district administration suspended the search on November 9.

Recognising the extreme difficulty of retrieving victims buried under nearly 30 feet of debris, the families have urged the administration to pivot toward their rehabilitation.With search operations now suspended, the focus has shifted to providing adequate financial aid, alternative land, and permanent housing to move survivors out of temporary shelters.

The Gidipabali tragedy remains a lasting scar on the region, making a dignified recovery package essential to help the surviving families rebuild their lives.