CYCLONE ARNAB DEATH TOLL RISES TO FIVE AS ODISHA CM SURVEYS FLOOD-RAVAGED DISTRICTS

October 31, 2026

BHUBANESWAR, OCTOBER 31: The death toll from rain-related incidents triggered by Cyclone Arnab in Odisha has risen to five, as Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi conducted an aerial survey of severely flood-affected districts and reviewed ongoing rescue and relief operations.

Among the victims were 32-year-old Achyut Pradhan, his 24-year-old wife Anisha and their nine-month-old son, who went missing after a landslide struck Dangesi village under Raikia block in Kandhamal district late on Wednesday. Their bodies were recovered on Friday. In another incident, 20-year-old Premananda Gamang was swept away by floodwaters in Titili village of Rayagada block in Gajapati district. A young man was also swept away in Sorada, Ganjam, on Thursday.

The cyclone-triggered torrential rainfall has caused extensive flooding across southern Odisha, particularly in Ganjam and Gajapati districts. Thousands of residents have been affected, with several villages inundated and people stranded in areas cut off by rising floodwaters. Agricultural losses have also been reported across thousands of acres of paddy and vegetable cultivation.

Majhi, accompanied by Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, surveyed the affected districts from the air and assured residents that the administration was working to provide food, drinking water and emergency healthcare. The state government has requisitioned four helicopters from the Indian Navy and Coast Guard to support evacuation and relief operations, including the aerial delivery of food packets to inaccessible locations.

President Droupadi Murmu also spoke to the chief minister to enquire about the situation and the damage caused by the disaster. Meanwhile, the state government has intensified relief operations, with rescue personnel working to reach communities isolated by flooding.

The Odisha government has announced an ex-gratia payment of ₹4 lakh each to the next of kin of the three family members killed in the Kandhamal landslide. A central government team is scheduled to visit the state on November 2 to assess the damage caused by the cyclone and subsequent flooding.

The disaster has also affected neighbouring Andhra Pradesh. Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu stated that the state had submitted a preliminary damage assessment of approximately ₹4,600 crore to the Centre following Cyclone Arnab.