Nearly 300 students, including over 100 girls, of a state-run residential school in Odisha’s Kendrapara district are stranded after rising waters of Brahmani River inundated the area amid incessant rainfall over the past 24 hours.

Officials said on Sunday that the students of the Kulasahi Ashram School in the district’s Pattamundai block have been shifted to the first floor of the school building after flood water entered the school premises. At present, the school is completely cut off due to the rising water level. The students were still on the premises when the last reports came in.

Speaking to , Kendrapara district collector Raghuram Iyer said all the students are safe. “The school premises are surrounded by flood water due to rising water levels in the Brahmani River. Senior officials were sent to the school to take stock of the situation. We haven’t taken any decision to evacuate the students from the campus,” said Iyer.

The administration is keeping a close watch on the situation, the collector said, adding, adequate food and drinking water are available for the students.

An official, who visited the school, said the kitchen and drinking water system at the school is intact. A fire service team with boat has been deployed near the school. “In case there will be a rise in the water level, and if there is a need for evacuation, we are ready for it,” said an official.

Officials said the school, run by the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe department of the state government, is located in a low-lying area close to the riverbank.

Over 5 lakh people hit in state

Meanwhile, over 5 lakh people have been affected due to flood-like situation in several northern districts due to heavy rain while the situation is grim in Bhadrak, Balasore and Jajpur. More than 2.5 lakh people from the low-lying areas of the affected districts have been shifted to safe shelters after flood water inundated several habitations.

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Odisha chief secretary Anu Garg on Sunday reviewed the situation and directed the district collectors to keep a close watch on the situation. Three senior IAS officers have been deputed by the state government in Balasore, Bhadrak and Jajpur to monitor the overall relief, evacuation and restoration measures on the ground.

At least 36 teams of Odisha Disaster Rapid Action Force (ORDAF), seven teams of NDRF and 36 fire service teams have been deployed with boats and other equipment in the affected areas to help the administration in relief and rescue operations.

“The administration has been put on alert while leaves of all government officials in the affected districts have been cancelled. The water resources department has also sent senior engineers for surveillance on the situation and for necessary intervention,” said the chief secretary.

Chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi is scheduled to visit the flood affected areas in Bhadrak and Jajpur on Monday, said officials.