Odisha administration rescued Stranded students, teachers from flooded school

KENDRAPARA: The administration on Wednesday rescued around 220 students and six teachers who were stranded in a flooded government-run residential school in Pattamundai block for the past four days.

Key points

• Kendrapara collector Raghuram R Iyer remarked rescue teams comprising 15 emergency personnel safely evacuated all the students of Kulasahi Ashram school using four boats.
• Condition of villagers in the flood-hit Penthapala panchayat continued to remain miserable.
• The stranded students and teachers were holed up in the first floor of the school building after floodwaters submerged the ground floor.
• The rescue operation continued for almost four hours, during which all the students and teachers were evacuated to safer locations.
• The two-storey school building had been battling solid currents since Saturday after floodwater rapidly entered its ground floor.

For context, the Ashram school at Kulasahi village under Penthapala gram panchayat was surrounded by almost 10 feet of floodwater after Brahmani river breached its banks after heavy monsoon rain.

Notably, the stranded students and teachers were holed up in the first floor of the school building after floodwaters submerged the ground floor. They were rescued by the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF) and fire services personnel.

Kendrapara collector Raghuram R Iyer remarked rescue teams comprising 15 emergency personnel safely evacuated all the students of Kulasahi Ashram school using four boats. The boats, equipped with life jackets, ropes and other safety equipment, reached the marooned school at 9 am after crossing the swirling floodwaters.

Meanwhile, the rescue operation continued for almost four hours, during which all the students and teachers were evacuated to safer locations. The students were examined by a team of doctors and none was discovered to be ill. They were subsequently shifted to another residential school at Mahadeipatana village.

In practice, the two-storey school building had been battling solid currents since Saturday after floodwater rapidly entered its ground floor. Located in a low-lying area close to the riverbank, the 15-year-old school frequently faces waterlogging during floods, remarked headmaster Soumendra Das. This person had remained at the school since Saturday.

Meanwhile, the prolonged delay in rescuing the students had left parents and guardians deeply worried. They heaved a sigh of relief after the safe evacuation of the stranded children.

Meanwhile, condition of villagers in the flood-hit Penthapala panchayat continued to remain miserable. "Incessant rain over the past three days has added to the problems of residents, " remarked Penthapala sarpanch Annapurna Sethi.

In short, odisha administration rescued Stranded students, teachers from flooded school is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.