ADILABAD: Five young men drowned while taking a bath in the Godavari river near the Saraswathi Devi temple in Basara on Sunday.
The victims were residents of Chintal Bazar, Dilsukhnagar, Hyderabad. They include siblings Rathod Bharath (17), Rathod Madhan (19), and Rathod Rakesh (20). Vinod was an orphan, and Rithwik Chown (19) was a businessman and a close relative.
According to police, around 18 members of the group had travelled to Basara by train to offer prayers at the temple. Before the rituals, some entered the river for a bath. A few ventured into deeper waters by boat and, while playing, five of them were pulled into the river’s depths and drowned.
Family members on the riverbank raised an alarm. Police and expert swimmers rushed to the spot and retrieved four bodies quickly; the fifth was recovered after an hour of searching. The bodies were shifted to Bhainsa Area Hospital for postmortem.
Authorities noted the lack of safety infrastructure at the site — no signboards, fencing, or lifeguards in most stretches of the river, especially beyond the main ghat.
Despite heavy weekend footfall and regular pilgrim flow, only the first ghat has minimal safety arrangements.
‘Heartbreaking loss’
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar expressed deep condolences, calling the deaths “heartbreaking”. He noted that the victims had a promising future, and reminded the public of recent similar tragedies — six youths drowned at Medigadda last week and five more at Kondapochamma Sagar in January. The minister urged parents to be vigilant and directed officials to install warning boards and safety features near rivers, lakes and reservoirs.
Basara Sub-Inspector Srinivas said a case has been registered and investigation is underway. Nirmal Collector Abhilasha Abhinav expressed grief over the incident and said the district will implement stricter safety protocols. She reiterated that bathing is banned in areas without proper steps and announced immediate steps to enhance security at riverbanks to prevent further tragedies.