APTDC Boat Overturns In Godavari, 56 Feared Dead

56 persons were feared to have died when an APTDC boat carrying 72 persons (61 tourists and 11 crew members) overturned after hitting a rock in the swollen Godavari river in East Godavari district on Sunday afternoon.

Of the 56, 29 are from Telangana - 12 from Hyderabad and 17 from Warangal.

The rest are from Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Rajahmundry.

The 16 rescued persons were admitted to the Rampachodavaram general hospital.

The Godavari has been in spate for the past few days, and over 5.13 lakh cusecs of floodwater was flowing on Sunday afternoon when the mishap occurred.

The ill-fated boat Sri Vasista started off for Papikondalu, a prime tourist destination, from the Gandi Pochamma temple near Devipatnam, and capsized near Mantur-Kachchulur in the Devipatnam block of East Godavari district at around 10:30 am.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary L V Subrahmanyam ascertained details of the tragedy from East Godavari District Collector Muralidhar Reddy. The CS directed that a helicopter be pressed into service to trace the victims. Police and other rescue teams have set off from East and West Godavari districts for the accident spot, but it could take some time for them to reach there because of the swollen river.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy too took a serious view of the tragedy. He spoke to the officials concerned and got the details of the tragedy, and directed the officials to undertake immediate rescue and relief measures, and to use the services of Navy and ONGC helicopters. He also directed the officials to stop all boat services with immediate effect, and asked the district Collector and officials to examine whether the boats were safe for travel and whether the boats and their drivers had licenses.

Jagan also announced Rs 10 lakh as ex-gratia to the families of each of the victims.