Andhra Pradesh: 20 bodies recovered after boat capsizes near Vijayawada, rescue ops underway

At least 20 bodies were recovered after a boat carrying over 35-40 people capsized at Pavitra Sangamam ghat in river Krishna on Sunday.

20 bodies recovered so far, trying to trace remaining missing persons. Govt has appointed a senior committee to inquire, police has also registered a case against 4-5 persons out of which one has been arrested, Krishna District Collector B Lakshmi Kantam said.

As many as 20 passengers were rescued and brought ashore with the help of trained swimmers and local fishermen.The boat belongs to a private agency Simple Water Sports.

The boat was said to be overloaded and the buoyancy of water changed at the Pavitra Sangham which led to the imbalance. The boat was carrying 38 passengers as against its capacity of 24.

The tourists were travelling from Bhavani Island to Pavitra Sangham near Vijayawada when the mishap occurred.

Two teams each comprising 30 NDRF personnel, a 45-member team of the State Disaster Rescue Force (SDRF) and 60 members of the Disaster Response and Fire Services Department have been roped into the rescue operation.

"Rescue operation has been continuing since yesterday with four of our teams, divers are also making efforts to trace missing people," Santosh Kumar, NDRF Deputy Commandant said on Monday.

Tourism Minister Bhuma Akhila Priya has ordered an inquiry into the incident and directed her department officials to ascertain whether the boat operator had requisite permissions

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and leader of opposition Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and others expressed grief over the tragedy.

Government announced an ex gratia of Rs 8 lakh to each of the families of the deceased. "If they had taken the insurance under Chandranna Bima Scheme, an additional amount of Rs 2 lakh would be paid to each family.

OneIndia News