Three VIT Students Drown, Two Missing At Vodarevu Beach
Intensive search and rescue operations are underway, with the help of marine police, expert divers, and local fishermen: SP
VIJAYAWADA Tragedy struck at Vodarevu Beach in Bapatla district as strong waves swept away five youths who had gone swimming. Three bodies have been recovered so far, while search operations are ongoing for the remaining two missing persons.
Bapatla SP B Umamaheswar Rao rushed to the spot and supervised the rescue operations. He said that seven students from VIT University, Amaravati, in Guntur district, ventured into the sea at Vodarevu Beach, where three of them were caught in strong currents and drowned.
The deceased were identified as Pentela Jeevan Satvik of Hyderabad, Vangala Sri Saket of Jadcharla, and B Sai Manideep of Hyderabad — all students of VIT University, Amaravati.
In a separate incident, 11 people from Chirala town’s Vadde Sangham Colony in Kothapeta also entered the sea for bathing, when four of them were swept away by strong waves.
Marine police and expert swimmers rescued Stevenson, a delivery boy, and Shalemu, a DJ operator. However, two others — Gautam Krishna Prasad (15) and Kuchina Sharon Raju (18) — are still missing.
The SP said intensive search and rescue operations are underway, with the help of marine police, expert divers, and local fishermen.