Jajpur: The body of a 60-year-old man in Odisha’s Jajpur district remained on the rooftop of his flooded house for nearly 18 hours, as rising water stopped his family from bringing the body down while alleged lack of administrative assistance delayed the last rites.

The incident was reported from Chintasahi under Bari panchayat, where several families have remained surrounded by floodwater for the past five days following flooding in the Brahmani and Kharasrota rivers.

The deceased, identified as Hrushikesh Mallik, died at around 4.30 pm on Wednesday while staying with his family on the rooftop of his submerged house. With floodwater covering the lower portion of the house and reaching waist level in parts of the village, the family could not bring the body downstairs.

The body reportedly remained on the rooftop until around 10 am on Thursday.

The family said they informed the local administration and sought help to take the body out. The deceased's nephew, Anil Mallik, allegedly called the Block Development Officer three times, but the calls were not answered.

A boat operator engaged for rescue operations also reportedly said he could not go to the village without instructions from higher authorities.

A local panchayat representative, Sheikh Safiquddin, arranged a hearse vehicle. However, the road from Mallik's house remained submerged for nearly one kilometre.

Villagers and volunteers then carried the body through waist-deep water. The funeral procession made its way through the flooded stretch before the body was taken to Jajpur for cremation.

The incident has triggered anger among villagers over the flood response in the area. Residents alleged that hundreds of families in Chintasahi have been forced to stay on rooftops without adequate access to cooked food and transport.

Villagers said only dry food had been provided and cooked meals were not being distributed. They also alleged that boats were not readily available for movement in and out of the flooded village.

Panchayat officials, however, said rice and dal had been sent to the village. When contacted, Panchayat Officer Jitendra Kumar Dhal said food supplies had been dispatched.

Additional District Magistrate Shibananda Swain said he would look into the matter.