Gajapati landslide deaths: Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia for families of deceased

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Government will provide an ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the persons who lost their lives in landslide at Barghara village under Rayagada block of Gajapati district, informed Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Bishnupada Sethi today.

The official further said that 68 families out of a total of 75 residing in the village were evacuated to safe places while the rest seven families didn’t agree to shift. Later, members of the seven families became the victims of the landslide, he said.

The ex-gratia amount will be given to the seven bereaved families, Sethi said.

Meanwhile, rescue team has recovered the bodies of 15 persons who were killed in the landslide.

The incident occurred in Barghara village when the cave, in which they had taken shelter, collapsed following incessant rain triggered by cyclone ‘Titli’ on October 11.