Clinging to a palm tree, Odisha man survives 5 days submerged in floods

An ODRAF official said Sunanda Behera was severely weakened by the time they reached the villager who had been missing for five days.

Updated on: Aug 18, 2026, 22:47:20 IST

By Debabrata Mohanty

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A 35-year-old man swept away by floodwaters in Odisha’s Bhadrak district survived for five days in the water before local residents spotted him on Tuesday, clinging to a submerged palm tree.

Sunanda Behera had gone missing five days ago after getting caught in strong flood currents (ODRAF)

Sunanda Behera, a resident of Balipatana village in Dhamnagar block's Arjunpur gram panchayat, went missing five days ago after getting caught in strong flood currents. Initial search efforts by villagers had yielded no trace.

Sunanda Behera was rushed to a nearby medical facility for emergency treatment, where doctors said his condition remains critical. (ODRAF)

On Tuesday, villagers travelling by boat through the submerged Bajapati field noticed Behera clinging to the tree and alerted the Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ODRAF), which dispatched a rescue team to the spot.

“By the time our team brought him to safety, Behera was severely weakened. His hands and legs were trembling. We were amazed to see how he spent five days in the water without food,” an ODRAF official said.

Behera was rushed to a nearby medical facility for emergency treatment, where doctors said his condition remains critical.

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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