Landslide During Cyclone Arnab Kills Three In Kandhamal, Infant Among Dead, Rescue Teams Deployed

Kandhamal, India— Rescue teams pulled three bodies from mud and debris in Kandhamal district early October 30, 2026 after a hillside collapsed onto a cluster of homes during intense rain brought by Cyclone Arnab.

The slide hit at around 4 a.m. in a village near Phulbani. The district has been under heavy rainfall for two days. Local officials said saturated soil gave way above a small settlement. One house was buried completely. Two adjacent structures were damaged.

Among the dead were a nine-month-old baby, the child's mother, and an elderly relative. The father survived with injuries. Neighbors said they heard a roar and rushed out to find the house gone under mud.

District administration officials said they received the alert at 4:30 a.m. Fire services and the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force reached the site by 6 a.m. Heavy machinery could not reach the lane. Rescuers dug by hand and with shovels for three hours.

"We had warned families near hill slopes to move to shelters," a block development officer said. "Some stayed back to guard livestock. The rain did not stop all night."

Cyclone Arnab made landfall along the Odisha coast late October 29. Wind speeds were moderate but rainfall totals were high inland. Kandhamal recorded more than 180 mm in 24 hours. Several roads were washed out.

Officials said 40 families from the same hillside were shifted to a temporary shelter in a school building. Food and blankets were distributed. Medical teams examined children and elderly people who had been exposed to rain overnight.

The district collector ordered evacuation of three more vulnerable hamlets. Revenue officials are mapping cracks that appeared on hill slopes above other villages. Power supply remained cut in parts of the block.

The bodies were sent for postmortem at the district hospital. The administration announced ex-gratia assistance for the family and said it would assess compensation for damaged houses.

Rain continued through the afternoon. Rescue teams remained on site, watching for secondary slides. The weather office said heavy rain would persist for another 12 hours.