KAKINADA: Rescue workers, who are continuing searches to retrieve the bodies of Royal Vasishta capsize, have recovered five more bodies from River Godavari in both East and West Godavari districts. Police asked the kin of the victims, who are yet to be traced, to approach the officials concerned for DNA test to ascertain the identity of the bodies.
According to police, the five bodies were retrieved from five different places downstream Kachaluru. “All the bodies are in a decomposed state and beyond recognition,” the police said in a release.
Of the five bodies, one is that of a woman. While the body of the woman was recovered at Kottur village in Polavaram mandal of West Godavari district, the other bodies were recovered from Vadapalli and Chigurulanka in Kovvur mandal, Pottilanka in Kadiyam mandal and Edurulanka in I Polavaram mandal of East Godavari district.
Cases of unnatural death were registered in the police station limits where the bodies were found. East Godavari district superintendent of police Adnan Nayeem Asmi said the samples from the bodies would be sent to the AP Forensic Sciences Laboratory for preserving the DNA profile.
The kin of the victims whose bodies are yet to be traced can approach the police for DNA sampling.“A blood relative — mother or father, son or daughter, at least sisters or brothers — can give samples for DNA profiling. The kin of the missing persons should come along with two passport size photographs and address proofs,’’ the SP informed. The kin of missing persons can contact nodal officer Rajani Kumar over phone numbers 9440796395 or 6305399834.
Flood threat to ‘Operation Royal Vasishta’
Balaji Marines, which was entrusted with the task of retrieving Royal Vasishta, on Monday will start its operations to retrieve the ill-fated boat from Godavari with the support of Golla Venkata Siva, an expert in the field. The boat, with 77 tourists on board, capsized at Kachaluru in East Godavari district on September 15. While 26 tourists were rescued, 36 lost their lives and the rest are yet to be traced. NDRF, SDRF, Navy forces and marine experts from Mumbai and Chattishgarh tried to retrieve the boat, but in vain. Later, Kakinada-based Balaji Marines was roped in for the task. The government has also allocated `22.7 lakh to Balaji Marines, headed by Dharmadi Satyam. Meanwhile, Godavari flood water levels are gradually increasing due to rain in the upper region of the river.