Swept away in darkness, 75-year-old woman drifts 25 km before rescue in Odisha

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.