Bodies of four engineering students fished out of Krishna after 15-hour search

The dead bodies were sent to the Government hospital for post-mortem examination and were later handed over to their family members.
Bodies of the students, who drowned in the Krishna, being brought to Pavitra Sangamam at Ibrahimpatnam on Sunday;
Bodies of the students, who drowned in the Krishna, being brought to Pavitra Sangamam at Ibrahimpatnam on Sunday;

VIJAYAWADA: After 15 hours of extensive search operations carried out by more than 60 personnel from various rescue agencies in River Krishna, the bodies of four engineering students were fished out on Sunday morning. They were sent to the Government hospital for post-mortem examination and were later handed over to their family members.  

The victims - K Praveen (18), K Naga Chaitanya Reddy (18), N Srinadh (19) and P Raj Kumar (19) -  drowned in the Krishna at Pavitra Sangamam ghat at Ibrahimpatnam when they went into the river at the confluence point of Krishna and Godavari rivers on Saturday afternoon.

Crest-fallen friends of victims
| Express

The deceased were second-year engineering students of DVR & Dr. HS MIC College of Technology in Kanchikacherla of Krishna district.

Upon learning about the incident, 10 swimmers from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and 31 from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) were pressed into service for an extensive search operation with 10 boats for more than nine hours but could not find not missing students. State Disaster Management Authority officials also contacted Navy to send divers.

Around 6 am on Sunday, 60 personnel of SDRF, NDRF, six divers from Eastern Naval Command (Visakhapatnam) and expert swimmers have pressed into service again and found the bodies of Srinadh, Praveen and K Naga Krishna Chaitanya. A few hours later, the swimmers found the body of P Raj Kumar.  
After seeing the bodies, parents, family members and friends, who were waiting at Sangamam ghat, broke down.

Water Resources Minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao, who visited the spot, consoled the parents and announced an ex gratia of `10 lakh to the families of each of the deceased.

“While the State government will extend an ex gratia of `5 lakh, the college announced a financial help of   Rs 5 lakh to families of each of the victims on humanitarian grounds,” the minister said.

The minister also appreciated the efforts of rescue teams and locals for playing a crucial role in fishing out the bodies from the river.

62 boats, launches get permission
Rajamahendravaram: The East and West Godavari district authorities accorded permission to 62 Papikondalu-bound launches and boats on Sunday. Disclosing this, B Ratna Raju, Junior Superintendent, Boats, at Devipatnam, said the officials were constantly monitoring the infrastructure and safety equipment like fire extinguishers, life jackets and others, in tourist boats and launches. He said boat operators were instructed to steer boats to the nearest point of safety in case of strong winds or storms.

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com