Floods ravage Odisha's coasts: Ten dead and lakhs marooned

Bhubaneswar: Floods triggered by low pressure induced rains wreaked havoc in cyclone-hit Ganjam and other coastal districts of Odisha, leaving 10 persons dead and lakhs marooned as helicopters launched rescue operations today. [caption id=“attachment_1194029” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Floods in Odisha. PTI image[/caption] Of the ten deaths, six, including four members of a family were killed in wall collapse in Jagatsinghpur district and four others were swept away in floods in Ganjam district, Special Relief Commissioner, P K Mohapatra said. He said that around 85,000 persons have been evacuated to safety so far. Three helicopters began rescue operation in Ganjam district where the situation remained a cause of concern as rivers Rushikulya and Ghodahada were in spate, the SRC said. Helicopters were also being used to evacuate people sheltering on rooftops in Ganjam district where above one lakh people were marooned, Revenue and Disaster Management minister S N Patro said. All rivers in Ganjam, Gajapati, Rayagada and Nayagarh districts were overflowing, he said. Describing the flood situation in Ganjam as grim, Patro said thousands of people were trapped by flood waters in Aska, Sorada, Hinjili, Sergarh, Belaguntha, Rangelunda blocks as also in Gajapati district. PTI