The devastating floods in Odisha’s Keonjhar mounted to five on Wednesday as relentless rainfall, coupled with a slow-moving weather system, left behind a trail of destruction, officials said. The monsoon fury resulted in the submersion of hundreds of villages and disrupted normal life across several parts of the state. 

While the highest number of flood-hit fatalities were reported from Keonjhar, Balasore emerged as the worst-hit district in terms of the number of people affected by the deluge. According to authorities, they persevered in rescue and relief operations amid rising levels of floodwaters. Meanwhile, thousands of people were compelled to abandon their homes as rivers were in full spate and large swathes of land remained inundated. 

Fire services personnel among the ones who died

Officials said that a fire services personnel named Chandan Pattnaik was among the ones who lost their lives. According to sources, he died of electrocution while discharging his official duties in the flood-hit region. 

Pattnaik reportedly came in contact with a galvanised iron clothesline that had become electrically live due to a fault in the power supply. In another separate incident, one person was killed after a wall collapsed, while a woman aged 24 was swept away by fast-flowing floodwaters. Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari confirmed the number of fatalities and said authorities had been keeping a close tab on the evolving situation. 

Meanwhile, as the monsoon raged on, its effects extended beyond Keonjhar. In Bolangir district, two brothers sustained grievous injuries after their house collapsed late Tuesday night after two days of torrential rainfall. 

30k+ people evacuated as floodwaters spread

According to the state’s flood status report released on Wednesday morning at 9, the floods have left close to 2.32 lakh people affected across six districts. As a precautionary measure, more than 30,000 people have been evacuated from vulnerable areas and have been shifted to safer areas. 

As many as 109,429 people from Balasore bore the brunt of the natural calamity, making it the worst-affected district in Odisha. In a move to ramp up the relief efforts, the Odisha government has cancelled leave for all government employees posted in flood-affected districts and has issued orders to them to remain on duty, Minister Pujari said the administration was working round the clock to ensure uninterrupted rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations. 

District collectors have also been authorised to decide on the temporary shutdown of schools depending on local conditions and the severity of flooding in the areas falling under their respective jurisdictions.