Godavari Boat Accident: Boat Found 60 Feet Below Water

The ill-fated launch that capsized in the Godavari river on Tuesday in Andhra Pradesh was found 60 feet below the water level, and was brought back to the shore.

The boat, carrying some 50 villagers, sank in the river near Vadpalli village on the border of East and West Godavari districts, due to heavy rains with strong gales. Over 30 passengers are missing in the incident, and the NDRF and Navy personnel are striving to trace the bodies from the launch. East Godavari district Collector Kartikeya Mishra is supervising the operations.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu flew to the accident site, and enquired about how the accident occurred and how rescue operations were going on.

Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan, too, expressed his deep sorrow over the incident, and said that his party would extend help to the families of the victims. The unfortunate incident occurred due to negligence, he opined. The government should at least now provide basic facilities to girijans, he said.