ADILABAD: National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel on Thursday rescued B Shankar Naik, a cattle grazer who was stranded on the opposite side of the Godavari river in Nirmal district for nearly 30 hours.
Naik, who crossed over on August 27, remained trapped with water up to his knees, without food or water, and sheltered under an umbrella in Munipally village of Laxmanchanda mandal. With no space to lie down, he spent the night standing.
According to Naik, three cattle grazers from Munipally had taken their cattle to the riverbanks when sudden heavy rainfall and the release of water from the project raised river levels. Two grazers, Linganna and Srinu, managed to cross using a makeshift thermocol raft, but Naik, who did not have one, was forced to move to the far bank to save himself.
SP G Janaki Sharmila, upon receiving information on August 27, reached the site with police and rescue personnel. Food and a mobile phone were supplied to Naik using a drone to reassure him, before the NDRF was called in.
Two NDRF teams, supported by the district rescue team, used boats to reach Naik despite strong river currents and brought him back safely.
Elsewhere, Nirmal police and NDRF rescued five people and 15 cattle trapped on the banks of the Madhapur stream in Soan mandal.