Bhubaneswar, (Reportrspen), Aug 2: A somber atmosphere has settled over Housing Board Colony in Choudwar as the remains of Dr. Bishnu Prasad Chinara are expected to arrive in Odisha on Friday. Meanwhile, Dr. Swadhin Panda, who was vacationing with Dr. Chinara in Kerala’s Chooralmala when the landslides occurred, has not yet been found.
The massive landslide, which hit several villages in Wayanad district on July 29, has claimed 308 lives, with over 220 people still missing, according to official sources.
Dr. Bishnu (34) and his wife Priyadarshini Paul, along with Dr. Swadhin Panda and his wife Dr. Sweekruti Mahapatra, left for Bengaluru on July 26. They celebrated Dr. Bishnu’s birthday in Bengaluru on July 27 before traveling to Wayanad, where they stayed at Linora Villa in Chooralmala. They were asleep in the villa when the landslide struck around 2 AM, sweeping them away.
Dr. Bishnu’s body was recovered on Wednesday, and his family identified it on Thursday.
Dr. Swadhin, a senior resident doctor at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, is from Raghunathpur in Bhubaneswar. He was in Bengaluru for a conference. His sister, Somali Panda, reported that Odisha government officials are working with their Kerala counterparts to locate him. Dr. Sweekruti’s condition is reported to be critical.
