Hyderabad: All 11 people who went missing after their rescue boats capsized in the turbulent floodwaters of Bethupalli Lake in Telangana's Khammam district were rescued by Thursday morning, officials said, in an IANS report from Hyderabad on November 5. The 11 included personnel of the Telangana State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and the Fire Services Department and a local resident.

Source: IANS (via hi INDiA)

Telangana Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy separately confirmed the outcome, saying all the fishermen and 10 SDRF personnel stranded at Betupalli Cheruvu (lake) had been brought to safety. In a social media post, the minister congratulated the rescue teams for conducting round-the-clock operations and saving the lives of the stranded fishermen and SDRF personnel, Hyderabad Mail reported.

Source: Hyderabad Mail

How a fishermen's rescue turned into a second emergency

According to officials cited by IANS, five fishermen had ventured into Bethupalli tank on Wednesday afternoon to lay fishing nets, despite water flowing over the tank's surplus weir after heavy rainfall in the district. A sudden rise in the water level left them stranded in the middle of the tank, and two more fishermen who arrived from another area also got caught in the strong currents, leaving a total of eight people stranded. A Fire Services team rushed to the spot with a boat and brought three people out safely, but five fishermen remained trapped in the middle of the tank.

A second team — six police personnel of the Kothagudem battalion and four Fire Services members, along with a local resident — then set out at around 7.30 p.m. in two boats to reach the five fishermen. Both boats capsized in the powerful current of the overflowing water body, and all 11 occupants were swept away, triggering an extensive search operation. The fishermen had been trapped by rising floodwaters following heavy rains linked to Cyclone Murasu, Hyderabad Mail reported.

Source: Hyderabad Mail

Fishermen reached safety late at night; the missing 11 held together and made phone contact

The five stranded fishermen managed to reach a mound of earth in the middle of the water body. An NDRF team dispatched from Vijayawada reached them at around 10.30 p.m. and brought all five to safety at approximately 11.20 p.m., IANS reported. Meanwhile, some of the missing personnel had managed to remain together at one location after the capsize and established telephone contact with the authorities, following which rescue teams intensified their efforts to trace their exact location. A joint search by NDRF and Fire Services teams continued through the night until all 11 were rescued by Thursday morning.

Khammam District Collector Divakara T S and other senior officials had rushed to the spot to supervise the operation, and Sathupalli MLA Matta Ragamayi was also at the site, Hyderabad Mail reported in its earlier coverage of the search. What happens next: the minister had been scheduled to visit the area on Thursday, and officials are expected to review how the rescue boats were caught by the current in the overflowing tank, which had breached following the Cyclone Murasu rains.

Source: Hyderabad Mail