It was a providential escape for 18 workers, who were trapped in a cashew grove, with the sudden inflow of water into the Nagavali river due to heavy downpour in the catchment areas.
The workers who went to the grove on Saturday night were stranded for almost 18 hours, their plight worsening with lack of communication to their villages Ponnada, Killipalem and other places. They did not carry mobiles as a majority of them are daily wage workers.
Rumours spread that they were drowned in the river, causing panic among family members and officials of the district administration. However, the information reached the District Collector’s office that they were safe but they needed support for reaching Srikakulam safely.
Srikakulam Collector P. Lakshmi Narasimham alerted the Fisheries and Police departments to arrange boats.
The boats reached the grove located between Killipalem and Ponnada and rescued them.
A. Ramu, one of the villagers, said they could not inform the families about their condition owing to lack of mobile phones. Some said they thought they could reach the villages once the level receded. However, it only rose due to heavy rains in the catchment areas.
