Keshi Dalai was taken to a hospital and handed over to the police.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
For more than 12 hours in pitch darkness, 75-year-old Keshi Dalai clung to life as the raging Brahmani River carried her through swollen floodwaters for nearly 25 km in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.
With crocodiles lurking in the turbulent waters and the river showing no mercy, every passing minute brought her closer to death. Yet, against all odds, the septuagenarian survived the ordeal and was rescued alive on Sunday morning.
Ms. Dalai, a resident of Kalakhanda, a riverside village under Bari-Ramachandrapur tehsil in Jajpur district, had gone to the riverbank to relieve herself late on Saturday evening while her family was asleep. After she lost balance, she was swept away by the Brahmani River, which was in spate following the heavy rains.
“In the morning, when we looked 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, Ms. Dalai son-in-law.
Throughout the night, Ms. Dalai managed to remain afloat. On Sunday morning, she was spotted waving for help by a group of youths at Balipatna village in Kendrapara district — at a distance of 25 km by river course and 45 km by road from her village.
“We saw someone struggling in the swollen Brahmani. Her hands would emerge from the water intermittently before she was swept further downstream. That was enough for us to realise that she was still alive. We immediately rushed in a country 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 had turned pale. Local village women immediately attended to her, and within half an hour, she was able to speak. She was subsequently taken to a 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. Residents have erected barricades in the water at several places for protection. More than 20 people have been dragged into the river by crocodiles over the past five years. Against this backdrop, Ms. Dalai’s survival through the dead of night is being hailed as nothing short of a miracle.
Other stories of survival
As Odisha witnessed multiple spells of flooding following heavy monsoon rains this year, several astonishing stories of survival have emerged. In Bhadrak district, a farmer survived by clinging to a palm tree for five days when floodwaters suddenly inundated his farmland. He was rescued after floodwaters subsided. In another incident, three youths were swept away by strong currents while filming video reels in Balasore district. They managed to grab a tree and held on until rescued.
The control room of the Special Relief Commissioner under the Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Department has placed the official death toll from flood and rain at seven. However, disaster experts have alleged that the government is downplaying casualties to project a lower toll and claim credit for effective disaster management.
Meanwhile, Odisha is bracing for another round of flooding in the Mahanadi, Baitarani and Brahmani river systems. The State administration, however, said that the magnitude of the flooding will be minor.
Published – September 27, 2026 08:36 pm IST
