Cyclone Arnab death toll rises to 6 as 2 bodies recovered in Odisha landslide

• Two bodies recovered from landslide-hit Gidipabali village; 10 people remain missing.

• Around 177 personnel from multiple agencies are involved in the search operation.

• A survivor walked 25 km through forest roads carrying her two children to reach a relief centre.

The death toll from Cyclone Arnab-related incidents in Odisha rose to six on Sunday after rescue teams recovered two bodies from a landslide-hit village in the southern part of the state. Search operations were underway to trace 10 people still missing, officials said.

Gidipabali, a hilltop village on the border of Ganjam and Kandhamal districts, was buried under sludge and debris following heavy rainfall triggered by the cyclone earlier this week. The village had around 26 residents, and houses were flattened as debris cascaded down the hills.

At least 13 survivors have been sheltered at a relief centre near G Udaygiri, Kandhamal district collector Vedbhusan said.

Odisha has reported around 10 landslides due to incessant rainfall caused by Cyclone Arnab, which made landfall in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on 28 October.

State Fire Service director general Sudhanshu Sarangi said two bodies had been recovered and the search operation would continue until Tuesday. The state government launched the operation on Friday.

Among the survivors, Rinima Mallik walked 25 km through forest roads carrying her two children to reach the relief centre near G Udaygiri.

"My husband and father are missing. How to support my twins? We do not want to go back to the village," she said, urging the government to help her resettle elsewhere.

Another survivor, Soudamini Mallik, said the landslide struck while residents were asleep.

"Sludge and boulders rolled down on our house. Some of us who woke up by the sound ran for safety. We do not know what happened to others," she said.

Around 177 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), Fire Service, Special Operation Group, Railways and the Indian Navy were involved in the search operation.

Special Relief Commissioner Rajesh P Patil said teams were using the Odisha Fire Service's seismic life detection unit and the Railways' chain pulley system to safely evacuate people from the affected area.

The six deaths linked to Cyclone Arnab include the two bodies recovered from Gidipabali. Earlier, three members of a family died in a landslide in Kandhamal district, while another man was swept away by torrents of water in Gajapati district.

Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said the state government was taking all possible measures to rescue those missing.

Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik said he was "concerned and saddened" by the landslide in Bhanjanagar and urged the government to ensure the swift and safe rescue of those affected. He also expressed condolences to the bereaved families.