Thirty-eight days after the boat tragedy in Godavari river near Kachuluru village in Devipatnam mandal of East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh, expert swimmers of two private agencies and officials retrieved the vessel on Tuesday.
The swimmers found skeletal remains of seven persons in the boat and shifted them to the Rampachodavaram Area Government Hospital, from where they were transported to the Rajamahendravaram Government General Hospital (GGH), said district Superintendent of Police Adnan Nayeem Asmi.
“The bodies were stuck in the A/C cabins. Search is on for the remaining five missing persons,” said Rampachodavaram ASP Vakul Jindal.
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About 35 members of Kakinada-based Balaji Marines and Om Shiva Sakthi Under Diving Services, Visakhapatnam, AP State Disaster Response Force (APSDRF), Kakinada Port and police took part in the operation.
“I am happy that the remains have been retrieved. It is a huge relief for the bereaved families,” said Balaji Marines head Dharmadi Satyam.
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In all 77 persons, including eight boat crew were, on Royal Vasista, which was proceeding to Papikondalu. The boat capsized on September 15 after being caught in a whirlpool. Twenty six persons survived the accident and 46 bodies have been traced till date. The tourists were from A.P. and Telangana, the officials said.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), the SDRF, the Navy, experts from Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Mumbai and the AP Fire Services located the boat at a depth of 215 feet. District Collector D. Muralidhar Reddy then assigned the task of retrieving it to Balaji Marines.
Initially, the team with the help of Kakinada Port official Adinarayana, tried to pull out the boat by using conventional methods. But, the ropes snapped twice. The operation was also disrupted due to increase in the flood in Godavari and heavy rain.
‘Team effort’
A couple of days ago, scuba divers from Visakhapatnam studied the position of the boat. On Tuesday, three divers hooked the boat and it was retrieved with the help of heavy duty cranes.
A.P. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had ordered a probe into the accident. The Devipatnam police registered a case and have till date arrested five persons. Ex gratia has been given to the family members of the victims, whose have bodies been traced.
Mr. Adinarayana termed the operation a team effort and thanked the agencies concerned.