A drone view shows vehicles stranded along the inundated National Highway 16 (NH-16) near Ichchapuram following flash floods caused by Cyclone 'Arnab', in Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh, Friday, Oct. 30, 2026. (PTI Photo)At least 12 people have gone missing after a landslide triggered by torrential rain under the influence of Cyclone Arnab struck a hilltop hamlet in Odisha’s rain-battered Ganjam district. Officials said the search operation had been intensified to trace the missing persons.The incident occurred on Friday at Gidipabali village under Bhanjanagar block, located on a hilltop along the Ganjam-Kandhamal border, officials said.“The hamlet had a total population of 26, of whom 13 people were relocated following heavy rainfall. After the landslide struck the hamlet, we received reports that 13 people were still missing. So far, one person has been rescued alive and taken to a relief shelter.A full-fledged rescue operation is still underway to trace the remaining missing persons,” said Odisha’s special relief commissioner Rajesh Patil.Patil said more than 170 personnel from the NDRF, ODRAF, fire services and the Special Operation Group (SOG) of Odisha Police were engaged in the search operation. Officials from Ganjam and Kandhamal districts are coordinating the rescue efforts.On Friday, at least three members of a family, including a nine-month-old baby, died in a landslide at Dangesi village under Raikia block in Kandhamal district. Officials also confirmed the death of another person in Gajapati district.Even as the water level in the Rushikulya river in Ganjam fell below the danger mark and floodwaters began receding in several inundated villages, the situation remained grim. Nearly 40,000 people were still taking shelter in 367 relief camps across the district.Story continues below this adMore than 1.05 lakh people were affected by the floods in Ganjam, while over 25,000 were affected in neighbouring Gajapati district, the SRC said.“The flood situation occurred in Ganjam and Gajapati districts due to excessive rainfall after the cyclone. The situation is slowly returning to normal. Though flood water is still stagnant in some villages, communication has been restored to all villages except one in Ganjam, where relief material is being airdropped,” said the relief commissioner.Patil said restoration work had been expedited, with electricity supply restored in 80 per cent of the affected areas. Steps were also being taken to restore drinking water supply by the evening.Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast the formation of another cyclonic storm over the Bay of Bengal.Story continues below this adAn IMD bulletin said a well-marked low-pressure area lay over the southeast Bay of Bengal and adjoining areas of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Andaman Sea at 8.30 am on October 31.“It is very likely to move west-northwestwards and concentrate into a Depression over the same region during the next six hours.Thereafter, it is very likely to intensify further into a cyclonic storm during subsequent 24 hours, move west-northwestwards and reach over westcentral Bay of Bengal near Andhra Pradesh coast around evening of 2nd November 2026,” the bulletin said.Sujit Bisoyi is a Special Correspondent with the Indian Express and covers Odisha. His interests are... Read More Tags:Odisha