Mortal remains of Wayanad landslide victim Dr Bishnu Prasad Chinara on way to Odisha

The dead body of Dr Bishnu Prasad Chinara, who lost his life in the devastating landslides in Kerala’s Wayanad district on July 30, is reaching Odisha. His last rites will be performed at Parala, his ancestral village under the Gop block of Puri district. 

Informing about the steps taken to bring Dr Chinara’s body to Odisha, Director of Culture Department, Government of Odisha, Dilip Routray, who along with Joint Director (Health Services) Dr Arghya Pradhan has camped in Wayanad for the last three days, said, “With the joint efforts of the Odisha Government and its counterparts in Kerala, Dr Chinara’s body has been sent to Odisha by road.” 

From Bhubaneswar, the mortal remains of Dr Chinara will be taken to Parala village for the last rites, it was learned. 

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Informing about the health condition of Priyadarshini Pal, wife of Dr Chinara and Swikruti Mahapatra, wife of Swadheen Panda, Routray said, “They are undergoing treatment at Dr Moopen's Medical College. We all are praying for their speedy recovery.”

Recounting the day of the devastation, Priyadrashini’a father and Dr Chinara’s father-in-law, who was at Dr Moopen’s Medical College, said, “Two friends (Dr Bishnu Prasad Chinara and Dr Swadheen Panda) with their wives came to Kerala for a seven-day tour programme. They started their journey on July 25. After staying two days in Bangalore, they went to Wayanad on July 28. While talking to me over the phone, my daughter said that it was raining heavily there on that day. She said they did not cancel the programme as it had already been fixed. Had they cancelled their programme, it would have been better.”

“At 2 am, my daughter saw a deluge of water gushing into their room and swept her away. She found herself on the verandah of a school. From there she cried for help. The security personnel came to her rescue. There they also found Swikruti Mahapatra with a fractured leg. They were shifted to the hospital one by one. The next morning, she called me to inform what had happened to them. Then we went to Wayanad and identified my son-in-law’s body,” he said in a choked voice. 

However, Dr Swadheen Panda is yet to be traced.