KAKINADA: Eight youngsters are feared to have drowned in the River Godavari at Kaminilanka in Mummidivaram mandal on Monday while taking a bath.
A group of 11 youths from Kakinada, Ramachandrapuram, and Mandapeta had come to attend a family function at Sherilanka village in K Gangavaram mandal.
They later ventured into the Godavari River at Kaminilanka for a bath. Due to the river’s depth, eight of them reportedly drowned.
Of the 11, three managed to swim back to the riverbank, while the remaining eight went missing. The trio tried to rescue their friends but were unsuccessful.
Rescue operations are currently underway.
Expressing shock over the incident, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed the Konaseema District Collector to intensify search and rescue efforts.
All out efforts to trace missing youths
According to police, the sudden depth was caused due to recent rains in upstream of the river. The group of friends believing the waters were shallow due to the summer conditions, ventured into deeper areas to swim. All of a sudden, eight of them failed to resurface.
The victims have been identified as Sabbati Kranti (19), Sabbati Paul (18), Ellamarti Sai (18), Tathipudi Nitish (18) from Kakinada, Yelipe Mahesh (14), Vaddi Rajesh (13), Vaddi Mahesh (14) from Sherilanka, Rohith (18) from Mandapeta.
Following the incident, police from Mummidivaram and Ramachandrapuram, along with local fishermen, launched a search and rescue operation. As night fell, the operation was suspended and is set to resume on Tuesday morning.
District Collector Mahesh Kumar Ravirala and SP B Krishna Rao visited the site and are personally overseeing the search efforts.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu expressed concern over the disappearance of eight youths in the Godavari River near Kaminilanka. He talked to the district collector over the phone to review ongoing search operations. He directed officials to take all necessary measures to rescue the missing individuals and ensure regular updates to their families.
In response to recurring water-related accidents, Naidu issued strict instructions to officials to install warning boards at all water bodies across the state. He ordered the identification of hazardous locations, such as ponds and lakes, through the village and ward secretariat staff, and the immediate installation of cautionary signage.
Naidu emphasized that district collectors must enforce these measures, warning of severe action against negligence or failure to comply. Minister Vasamsetty Subhash expressed deep sorrow over the incident, assuring the victims’ families that all efforts will be made to trace the missing youths and support will be extended to the grieving families.