Five bodies recovered from landslide site in Odisha

Rescue operations at landslide-hit Gidipabali village under Baibali Panchayat in Bhanjanagar block, near the Kandhamal district border, in Ganjam. File

Six days of intensive search and rescue operations in a remote in Odisha’s Ganjam district following Cyclone ‘Arnab’ yielded results on Thursday (November 5, 2026), with disaster response teams recovering five bodies from the landslide debris, taking the death toll to seven.

Three bodies were recovered in the morning, while two more were retrieved in the afternoon at Gidipabali village under Bhanjanagar block. All five victims belonged to the same family — a couple and their three children, residents of Gidipabali. Their last rites were subsequently performed near the village.

“Teams retrieved five bodies from the landslide debris at Gidipabali. Their identities have been established. They belong to one family,” said Kandhamal Collector Vedbhusan on Thursday.

Although Gidipabali falls under Ganjam district, its remote location and difficult terrain make it accessible only through neighbouring Kandhamal district.

For the past six days, personnel from the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Fire Service and Special Operations Group (SOG), along with Indian Railways engineers and local residents, had been engaged in the search and rescue operation.

Earlier, Fire Services Director General Sudhanshu Sarangi had described the task of clearing the massive volume of debris deposited over several houses in the village as a herculean challenge. Controlled explosions had to be carried out to break and remove huge boulders obstructing the operation.

Government sources said the rescue operation would continue even after the recovery of all five bodies.

The Gidipabali village had a population of 25. While 13 of them escaped with minor injuries in the landslide that was believed to have occurred on October 28, 2026 due to heavy rains triggered by Cyclone ‘Arnab’, the Ganjam district administration was informed after two days. The disaster response authorities found it difficult to take heavy machinery to the landslide site due to absence of an access road.