All 11 missing rescuers rescued after boats capsize in Khammam’s Bethupalli lake

All 11 SDRF, Fire Services personnel and a local resident who went missing after two rescue boats capsized in the flood-swollen Bethupalli Lake in Khammam district were rescued by Thursday morning. The joint NDRF and Fire Services operation successfully traced and rescued both the stranded fishermen and the missing rescue team members.

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

The rescue operation was jointly conducted by teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Fire Services Department, following an extensive search for those swept away by the strong current in the overflowing water body.

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According to officials, some of the missing personnel had managed to remain together at a particular location after the incident and had also established telephone contact with the authorities.

Following the communication, rescue teams intensified their efforts to trace their exact location and bring them to safety.

The incident took place at Bethupalli tank, which had been overflowing following heavy rainfall in the district. Officials said that five fishermen had ventured into the tank on Wednesday afternoon to lay fishing nets, despite water flowing over the tank’s surplus weir.

However, a sudden rise in the water level left the fishermen stranded in the middle of the tank, and the strong flow of water made it difficult for them to return to the shore.

Realising the danger, they contacted members of the local fishermen’s cooperative society, who were present on the tank bund, and sought immediate assistance. In an attempt to rescue the stranded fishermen, one person subsequently entered the water using a makeshift raft.

Meanwhile, two other fishermen who had arrived at the location from another area also got caught in the strong currents.

As a result, a total of eight people became stranded in the floodwaters of the tank.

After receiving information about the incident, a rescue team from the Fire Services Department rushed to the spot with a boat and managed to safely bring three people out of the water.

However, the remaining five fishermen continued to remain stranded in the middle of the tank, prompting authorities to launch another rescue operation.

Subsequently, a team comprising 10 personnel and a local resident set out to rescue the five fishermen who were still trapped in the water body.

The rescue team included six police personnel belonging to the Kothagudem battalion and four members of the Fire Services Department.

The team began its operation at around 7.30 p.m., using two boats to reach the stranded fishermen and bring them back safely. However, the rescue mission took a dangerous turn when both boats capsized due to the powerful current of the overflowing water.

All 11 occupants of the boats, including the 10 personnel and the local resident, were swept away by the strong current, triggering an extensive search and rescue operation by the authorities.

Meanwhile, the five fishermen who had initially become stranded in the tank managed to reach a mound of earth situated in the middle of the water body.

An NDRF team dispatched from Vijayawada subsequently reached the stranded fishermen at around 10.30 p.m. After locating them in the middle of the water body, the rescue personnel successfully brought all five fishermen to safety at approximately 11.20 p.m.

Meanwhile, a joint search operation involving the NDRF and Fire Services teams continued to trace the 11 people who had been swept away after the boats capsized.

All of them, including the SDRF personnel, Fire Services staff and the local resident, were eventually rescued by Thursday morning, officials confirmed.