Titli aftermath: 15 dead, three missing in Gajapati landslide

BHUBANESWAR/BERHAMPUR: The state government on Sunday confirmed the death of 15 people in Thursday's landslide at Baraghara village in Gangabada panchayat of Gajapati district. The landslide occurred due to heavy rainfall triggered by cyclone Titli that hit the state on Wednesday morning.

"Fifteen bodies have been recovered from the landslide site. Three more are missing. Search operations are on," Gajapati superintendent of police Amulya Das said. This is the first time in three days since the cyclone struck that the government has confirmed a death.

Amid mounting criticism on the number of deaths in a single village, special relief commissioner Bishnupada Sethi clarified that on Wednesday, a day before the disaster, "Raigad block chairman and a representative of the district rural water supply and sanitation unit had gone to Baraghara and asked the villagers to shift to safer places. Sixty three families agreed to move but seven families did not. They fell victim to the landslide."

The government has now announced an ex gratia of Rs four lakh for the next of kin of each of the deceased, he informed. Even as the rescue operation is on, Ananda Mallick hoped he would have some good news in the days to come. "Four members of my family are still missing. I am still hopeful that they are alive," said the agricultural labourer, who is a resident of Baraghara village.

Unconfirmed reports, meanwhile, suggested as many as 25 people have died in the state in the aftermath of cyclone Titli. Besides, eight others are reportedly missing in Ganjam and Gajapati districts.

On Sunday, revenue minister Maheswar Mahanty, urban and housing minister Niranjan Pujari, and energy and labour minister Susant Singh reviewed the situation in Gajapati district.