Thirty-five year-old Gampala Atcha Rao, a fisherman from Suryaraopeta in the city, who went missing in the sea on Sunday evening near Bhairavapalem, was able to swim back to the shore on Monday.
The moment he slipped from the mechanised boat into the sea when it was hit by a huge tide, Mr. Rao managed to catch hold of a wooden log and started swimming towards the shore. After a night-long swim against the high tide, Mr. Rao managed to reach the shore at Coringa wildlife sanctuary on Monday morning. By afternoon, he was able to get support from the Coast Guard personnel, who were patrolling duty.
After giving him the first aid, personnel from the Coast Guard brought him back to the city and admitted him to the Government General Hospital, where the fisherman was given fluids.
The whereabouts of 19-year-old Osupalli Mahendra, who was also missing in Sunday’s incident, however, are yet to be known. It may be recalled that the two fishermen who were returning to the shore from fishing on a mechanised boat with seven fishermen on its board fell into the sea from the boat near Bhairavapalem on Sunday evening.
