Three members of a family, including a nine-month-old baby, were killed in a landslide in Odisha's Kandhamal district, Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Narayan Naik, who is also in charge of the district, confirmed on Friday, news agency PTI reported.
The victims were Achyut Pradhan, his wife Anisha Pradhan and their nine-month-old child. The landslide, triggered by heavy rainfall in the aftermath of Cyclone Arnab, swept down a nearby hill on Thursday and buried their house under debris in a village in Raikia block, trapping the family inside, People's Press Trust reported.
Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi expressed deep sorrow over the deaths and announced financial assistance of Rs 4 lakh each from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to the next of kin of the three victims, conveying his condolences to the bereaved family in a post on X.
Cyclone Arnab's trail of rain across south Odisha
Kandhamal was among the districts worst hit by the rain left behind by Cyclone Arnab, which crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast on October 28. Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said Kandhamal recorded 123 per cent excess rainfall over two to three days, while Ganjam recorded 118 per cent excess and Gajapati 103 per cent, Nation Press reported. In Ganjam alone, an estimated 43,000 people were affected and 23,323 people were evacuated to relief centres.
Source: Nation Press — Cyclone Arnab floods Odisha: 43,000 affected in Ganjam (Oct 30, 2026)
Rescue and relief operations by the Indian Navy, the Indian Coast Guard, ODRAF and Fire Services teams are continuing across the worst-hit zones of south Odisha, and a central government team is expected to visit the affected areas to assess the full extent of cyclone damage, according to the state government.