India
Eleven Rescue Workers Missing After Two Boats Capsize in Telangana Flood
Eleven personnel from the Telangana State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Fire Services Department went missing on Wednesday after two rescue boats capsized in the overflowing Bethupalli tank in Khammam district while attempting to rescue fishermen trapped in floodwaters. The incident occurred in Sathupalli mandal, where five fishermen had entered the tank to set up nets and were caught in a strong current. The tank was overflowing after heavy rainfall. Three fire services personnel first entered the flooded tank in a boat, which then developed a technical snag and left them stranded. A larger rescue operation was launched, involving six SDRF personnel from Kothagudem, four additional Fire Services personnel and two local guides. The team set out in two boats to rescue both the stranded firefighters and the fishermen. They managed to retrieve the three fire services personnel whose boat had malfunctioned. While heading toward the fishermen, both rescue boats capsized in the turbulent waters, leaving 11 personnel missing. Khammam district collector Divakar T S and Sathupalli MLA Matta Ragamayi rushed to the site and joined officials in coordinating the rescue. Additional National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel from Bhadrachalam were requisitioned to strengthen the search. Teams were deployed with boats to search for the missing personnel and to reach people stranded in the tank. Officials were also arranging to use drones to drop life jackets to those caught in the floodwaters. Preliminary information indicated that all five fishermen trapped in the tank were safe. Efforts continued to trace the 11 missing rescue personnel. Chief minister A. Revanth Reddy directed the Khammam district collector to take all necessary measures to ensure the safe recovery of the missing SDRF and Fire Services personnel and instructed chief secretary Sanjay Jaju to monitor the situation and review the progress of the rescue operations. Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy expressed concern over the incident, directed officials to expedite the search operation, and stressed the need to ensure the availability of all necessary rescue equipment and boats. He announced that he would visit the site on Thursday morning to assess the situation and oversee the operation.