Flood deaths rise to 5 in Odisha’s Keonjhar; Balasore bears brunt of deluge

Officials said Balasore accounted for more than half of the affected population, with 109,429 people impacted

Published on: Jul 29, 2026, 18:59:56 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty, Bhubaneswar

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Flood-related deaths in Odisha’s Keonjhar district rose to five on Wednesday as incessant rain triggered by a slow-moving weather system inundated many villages, authorities said.

Balasore emerged as the worst-hit district, while Keonjhar saw the maximum casualties.

In Keonjhar, a fire services personnel Chandan Pattnaik died of electrocution while on duty. Officials said he came into contact with a clothesline made of galvanised iron wire that became live because of an electrical fault.

In another incident, a person was killed after a wall collapsed, and a 24-year-old woman was swept away by floodwaters, revenue and disaster management minister Suresh Pujari said.

Authorities battled widespread flooding across several districts. Two brothers in Bolangir district were also critically injured after their house collapsed on Tuesday night following two days of heavy rain.

Also Read:Over 2 lakh affected in Odisha flood; all major rivers in spate after heavy rain

According to the state’s flood status report issued at 9am, floods have affected 2.32 lakh (0.232 million) people in six districts leading to the evacuation of over 30,000 people.

Officials said Balasore accounted for more than half of the affected population, with 109,429 people impacted.

The state government cancelled leaves for all government employees in flood-affected districts and directed them to remain on duty to support relief and rescue operations, Pujari said. District collectors have also been authorised to decide on the closure of schools depending on local conditions.

India Meteorological Department meteorologist Umasankar Das said the flooding was caused by an unusually slow-moving weather system that lingered over Odisha for several days.

A low-pressure area formed over the northwest Bay of Bengal on July 25 and intensified into a depression a day later, but instead of moving inland quickly, it travelled less than 500 km over four days, reaching near Jharsuguda, Das said.

“The very slow movement of the system has brought a huge amount of rainfall, leading to flood conditions across the state,” he said.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Debabrata Mohanty
Debabrata Mohanty is a senior assistant editor of Hindustan Times who works as state correspondent from Odisha covering the state's politics, governance, public policy, natural disasters, environment and its society for close to three decades. With his long years of reporting from the state capital of Bhubaneswar, Mohanty has been known as one of the most experienced and credible journalists covering Odisha for the national English dailies. His reporting combines on-ground detail with deep institutional knowledge detailing the state's changing politics, governance issues, administrative reforms and the functioning of its public institutions. He has regularly reported on issues ranging from legislative developments and public policy implementation. Politics is his core areas of expertise as he closely tracks Odisha's political landscape, including the rise and transformation of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), the two principal political parties in Odisha. His long association with the state's political establishment enables him to write on contemporary developments in a larger political context. Mohanty takes a deep interest in writing human interest stories, environmental issues and documenting the impact of cyclones, floods, heatwaves, and other climate-related events in one of the most disaster-prone states. His coverage extends to public health, governance reforms and stories on accountability of government institutions. Before joining Hindustan Times, Mohanty worked with The Indian Express, Mail Today, and The Telegraph, where he covered at least six general elections and as many assembly elections. In 2007, he was selected for the prestigious Chevening Young Indian Print Journalist Programme at the University of Lincoln, United Kingdom, where he received advanced training in print journalism. In 2009 he won the Press Institute of India-International Committee of Red Cross award on conflict reporting for his on-ground reportage of 2008 Kandhamal riots.Read More

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