Odisha confirms 21 more deaths, Cyclone Fani toll hits 64

BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Sunday confirmed 21 more deaths due to Cyclone Fani, which struck the Odisha coast on May 3. With this, the death toll rose from earlier reported 43 to 64. The special relief commissioner’s situation report on Sunday confirmed that 39 people died in Puri district alone. This is 18 more than what the government had declared earlier.
Three more deaths were confirmed in Khurda district, bringing up the district toll to nine. Out of the 64 people dead, 25 died due to wall collapse, 20 were crushed by uprooted trees, electric poles and hoardings, and six died after being buried under collapsed roofs. The cause of 13 other deaths is yet to be ascertained. This makes Fani the deadliest cyclone to hit the state after the 1999 Super Cyclone, which killed more than 10,000.
In October 2018, 60 people were killed by Cyclone Titli and in October 2013, 44 had perished in Cyclone Phailin (21 by the cyclone and 23 by the resultant floods). A central interministerial team reached Bhubaneswar on Sunday to assess the losses caused by Fani. The team will visit the affected areas in Puri, Cuttack and Khurda over the next three days till May 15, sources said.
CM Naveen Patnaik on Sunday said all families whose houses were damaged would be given pucca houses. House damage assessment would begin from May 15 and be completed within a month, he said. Naveen also said senior officers would be appointed to supervise the assessment process in the severely affected blocks. “The work order distribution to the beneficiaries will begin from June 1. I assure you that all efforts will be made so that not a single eligible person is left out,” Naveen said. According to a preliminary state government assessment, more than five lakh houses have been damaged in the cyclone. — the highest of around 1.9 lakh in Puri district alone.