A tourist boat that left from Polavaram to Papikondalu caught fire on Friday morning due to a short circuit in the engine.
The crew immediately saw the fire, pulled the boat ashore and alerted the 80 passengers to get off the boat as an emergency safety measure.
According to V. Ajitha, Additional SP of Rampachodavaram, a private Royal Godavari tourism boat was carrying 80 tourists to show them the scenic beauty of Papikondalu on the banks of the river Godavari. But it suddenly caught fire between Veeravaram and Pudipalli villages due to a short circuit.
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“All the passengers are safe and they were shifted to another boat and the second boat left towards Angaluru near Papikondalu,” she added.
She further said that the boat that caught fire is an old one and its fitness has to be checked by irrigation authorities.