Two drown as boat capsizes in Godavari River
Two individuals drowned when a boat capsized in River Godavari near Pushkarala Revu at Rajamahendravaram in East Godavari district late on Monday night.
Kakinada:Two individuals drowned when a boat capsized in River Godavari near Pushkarala Revu at Rajamahendravaram in East Godavari district late on Monday night.
According to Three Town circle inspector V. Appa Rao, more than 12 people had taken a boat to the Havelock Bridge Lanka amidst the river for a party. While returning, the boat hit one of the pillars of the Railway Bridge across the river. The boat cracked leading to water entering and capsizing the boat.
The inspector said 10 people jumped into the river and swam to safety. But two persons – Gada Raju, aged 23 of Bhavanipuram, and Chepala Annavaram, aged 54 of Kotilingalapeta in Rajamahendravaram drowned in the river, as they did not know how to swim.
On knowing about the incident, DSP M. Ramesh Babu and joint collector J. Chinna Ramudu rushed to the spot and ordered search operations. The search party recovered the bodies of the two persons.
Appa Rao said cases have been registered against three persons – boat driver, owner and another person who took the people to the Havelock Bridge Lanka for the party.
Former Rajamahendravaram MP Margani Bharat condemned the incident. He blamed officials for allowing the boat to venture into the river during the night time. The former MP charged that the boat owners had taken more than 25 persons on the boat safety jackets.
Rajamahendravaram Urban MLA Adireddy Srinivas described the incident as unfortunate and expressed his condolences to the bereaved families. He said a thorough inquiry will be conducted into the incident and steps taken to ensure that no such incidents take place in future.