# GPR deployed, blasts stepped up in Odisha landslide search

2026-11-03T12:24:15+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk

Corroboration: 3 independent outlets

Search and rescue operations at Odisha's Gidipabali village entered their fourth day on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, with ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and controlled blasting deployed to locate at least 10 people missing after a Cyclone Arnab-triggered landslide on 28 October. Bodies of two men, Salman Pradhan (29) and Rabi Mallick (52), were recovered on 1 November. Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari said 157 personnel from NDRF, ODRAF, Railways and Fire Services, plus 25 local volunteers, are engaged. Fire Services Director General Sudhansu Sarangi said three controlled explosions on 2 November failed to break house-sized boulders blocking access. With Mines Department assistance, fresh blasting began on Tuesday, with results expected by evening. Two survivors rescued earlier and 11 others who escaped are housed in relief camps. Two women were admitted to a community health centre after falling ill, Sambad English and Odishabytes reported.

## Indian Opinion Analysis

All three outlets report the same operation and figures, differing only in minor framing choices. Orissapost and Odishabytes lead with the deployment of ground-penetrating radar and quote Disaster Management Minister Suresh Pujari, giving an official-government emphasis on escalated effort. Sambad English leads with the Fire Services DG's hope of concluding by Tuesday evening and adds the detail that three earlier blasts failed, leaning more into operational challenge. The core facts, 10 or 11 missing, two bodies recovered, 157 personnel, 25 volunteers, are identical across sources. The balanced reading is that the multi-agency operation is intensifying with new technology while the same boulder obstruction remains, with the outcome of the day's efforts expected by Tuesday evening.

## Coverage

Coverage: 3 sources, 3 neutral
- orissapost.com (neutral report) <https://www.orissapost.com/odisha-steps-up-multi-agency-search-rescue-operations-for-10-people-missing-in-landslide/>
  Leads with minister and GPR, official-framing of stepped-up effort
- sambadenglish.com (neutral report) <https://sambadenglish.com/latest-news/gidipabali-landslide-rescue-operation-enters-fourth-day-odisha-fire-services-dg-says-efforts-may-conclude-today-12778998>
  Leads with DG's hope of completion today and failed earlier blasts
- odishabytes.com (neutral report) <https://odishabytes.com/controlled-blasts-gpr-deployed-to-find-buried-villagers-in-odishas-gidipabali-after-cyclone-arnab-landslide/>
  Leads with GPR and controlled blasts, minister quoted, adds ill survivors

This brief was synthesised by AI from the 3 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry.
Update, 3 November 2026: this story now draws on 3 sources. Last updated 2026-11-03T13:13:23+00:00.

Tags: Cyclone Arnab, Ganjam, NDRF, Odisha, ODRAF, Suresh Pujari
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Cite: https://indianopinion.org/odisha-landslide-rescue-enters-day-4-blasting-fails-to-break-boulders/#story-in-brief

How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/