Crew have a tough time as boat starts breaking up

AC cabins, with bodies possibly trapped in them, still under water

A crane bringing out the remains of a boat that capsized in the Godavari at Kachluru village.

A 40-strong team led by Dharmadi Satyam, which has been making efforts to salvage the tourist boat Royal Vasista from the River Godavari, retrieved some parts of the vessel on Monday.

Kakinada Port personnel and scuba divers from Visakhapatnam tried to pull it out with the help of cranes, but to their dismay, only a portion of the vessel came up. The other part, which has air-conditioned cabins, is still under water with bodies of some passengers possibly stuck in it.

“As the boat capsized over a month ago, it is slowly breaking up. A couple of days ago, the iron grill came up and now a more few parts have surfaced,” said a crew member.

The team has been on the job for the last 15 days. The boat was spotted at a depth of 215 feet in the river. Police personnel and expert swimmers were also taking part in the operation.

Delicate operation

“We have to proceed very carefully. The boat is at a distance of about 500 metres from the river bund. Heavy duty cranes are being operated from the bund and the crew are working from country boats, punts and motor boats,” said an expert swimmer, adding efforts were being made to trace the missing persons whose number now stands at 12.

The team is also battling bad weather, but the operation would continue a police official told The Hindu .

Fifty persons, including 45 tourists, met a watery grave on September 15.

Inhabitants of Kachuluru, a tribal hamlet, saved 26 tourists.