Red alert in Odisha following heavy rain; schools shut in 12 districts

A low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal has turned into a depression, and a warning of heavy rainfall in Odisha in the next 24 hours has been issued.

A red alert has been issued by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) in 12 districts of Odisha, and schools have been ordered to remain shut for the next two days. A low-pressure area in the Bay of Bengal has turned into a depression, and a warning of heavy rainfall in the next 24 hours has been issued.Minister of School and Mass Education Samir Ranjan Dash has ordered the closure of all schools in Puri, Khurda, Cuttack, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Dhenkanal, Nayagarh, Sambalpur, Deogarh, Angul, Sonepur and Bargarh.The order was issued following a meeting between the state's Special Relief Commissioner and the School and Mass Education Department.Talking to Aaj Tak, Kendrapara District Magistrate Amrut Ruturaj said that due to heavy rainfall in the state, three people have lost their lives in different incidents.ALSO READ: Odisha: Incessant rainfall triggered by deep depression; Puri, Bhubaneswar break highest single-day rainfall record in September One of the deceased, identified as Abhay Mohapatra, a resident of Badabeta village in Garadpur zone, was sleeping when the wall of his house collapsed late on Sunday night. The body of the deceased has been sent for post-mortem. Along with this, Rs 10,000 has been announced to the deceased person's family by the Red Cross Institute.In another similar incident, Narmada Purusti, a resident of Dihasahi village of Benipur in Derabis zone, died due to a wall collapse.Another farmer, Kambeshwar Pathsani of Nuagarh village, Khurda district, died after drowning in an overflowing canal. Pathsani was going to work in the fields when the incident happened.ALSO WATCH: Heavy rain lashes parts of Delhi, IMD issues orange alert