A 75-year-old woman, swept away in the dark, drifts 25 km before rescue in Odisha
Keshi Dalai was taken to hospital and handed over to the police. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
For more than 12 hours in complete darkness, 75-year-old Keshi Dalai clung to life as the raging Brahmani river swept her nearly 25 km in the swollen floodwaters in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.
Crocodiles lurking in the turbulent waters and the river showing no mercy were bringing her closer to death by the minute. Nevertheless, despite all expectations of suffering, the septuagenarian survived and was rescued alive on Sunday morning.
Ms. Dalai, a resident of Kalakhanda, a riverside village under Bari-Ramachandrapur tehsil in Jajpur district, went to the riverside to relieve herself late on Saturday night when her family was sleeping. After losing her balance, she was swept away by the Brahmani River, which was in flood after heavy rains.
“In the morning, when we were looking for my mother-in-law, we could not find her. As the search continued, a call from the Pattamundai police in Kendrapara district brought us immense relief,” said Aranya Dalai, son-in-law of Mrs. Dalai.
Throughout the night, Mrs. Dalai managed to stay afloat. On Sunday morning in Balipatna village in Kendrapara district – 25 km downriver and 45 km by road from her village – a group of youths saw her waving for help.
“We saw someone struggling in the swollen Brahmani. Her hands were intermittently emerging from the water before she was swept further downstream. That was enough to make us realize she was still alive. We immediately rushed to the village boat to rescue her,” said Abhijit Sahoo, one of the rescuers.
“When we pulled her out, she had swallowed a considerable amount of water and her body turned pale. The local village women attended to her immediately and she was able to speak within half an hour. She was subsequently taken to the hospital and handed over to the police,” Mr Sahoo said.
The stretch of the Brahmani River flowing through Kendrapara is known for its crocodile population. For protection, the residents built barricades in several places in the water. Crocodiles have dragged more than 20 people into the river in the past five years. Against this backdrop, Ms. Dalai’s survival in the dead of night is hailed as nothing short of a miracle.
More stories of survival
As Odisha witnessed several floods this year after heavy monsoon rains, some amazing stories of survival emerged. In Bhadrak district, a farmer survived by clinging to a palm tree for five days when his farmland was suddenly flooded. He was rescued after the flood receded. In another incident, three youths were swept away by strong currents while shooting a video in Balasore district. They managed to grab hold of a tree and held on until they were rescued.
The control room of the Special Relief Commissioner under the Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Department has put the official death toll of the floods and rains at seven. However, disaster experts said the government was downplaying the victims to propose lower tolls and claim credit for effective disaster management.
Meanwhile, Odisha is bracing for another round of floods in the Mahanadi, Baitarani and Brahmani river systems. However, the state administration said the extent of the flood would be small.
Published – 27 Sep 2026 20:36 IST