All 11 people rescued after boats capsize in Telangana tank
The rescued group included 10 members of the State Disaster Response Force and the fire services department following a boat accident on Wednesday night.
All 11 people who went missing after their boats capsized in the Bethupalli tank in Khammam district's Sathupalli mandal were rescued by Thursday morning, according to the Hindustan Times. The missing group included 10 members of the Telangana State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the fire services department, along with one local resident.
The incident occurred on Wednesday night when boats carrying the rescue team capsized in turbulent floodwaters. The Bethupalli tank was overflowing following heavy rains in the district. The rescue operation was conducted jointly by the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the fire services department throughout the night, said Khammam district fire officer Ajay Kumar.
Khammam district fire officer Ajay Kumar said one person was rescued at 2.15 am, followed by four others at approximately 3 am. After locating three more personnel, the operation was temporarily suspended before resuming at 5 am, with the remaining stranded persons rescued in the following two hours.
The accident happened when 10 personnel and a local resident attempted to rescue five fishermen who were stranded in the tank. The team, consisting of six police personnel from the Kothagudem battalion and four fire services personnel, set out in two boats at around 7.30 pm but were swept away by strong currents.
The five fishermen had previously been rescued by an NDRF team from Vijayawada at approximately 11.20 pm on Wednesday. District collector T S Divakar monitored the rescue operations until around 3 am, and the rescued personnel were shifted to the Sathupalli hospital for medical attention.