Kothagudem: 51 persons stranded in Peddavagu floodwaters rescued

In all 51 persons were trapped in the flood waters, and 41 persons were rescued using DDRF boats and a Navy helicopter that reached the spot from Eluru in Andhra Pradesh when reports last came in. Efforts were still on to rescue the remaining 10 persons.

Kothagudem: Forty-one persons, who were stranded in flood waters of the Peddavagu stream at Narayanapuram village in Aswaraopet mandal were rescued by the NDRF and Kothagudem police’s DDRF on Thursday.

In all 51 persons were trapped in the flood waters, and all of them were rescued using District Disaster Response Force (DDRF) boats and a Navy helicopter that reached the spot from Eluru in Andhra Pradesh when reports last came in. Efforts were still on to rescue the remaining 10 persons.

---

By the time the helicopter dispatched by the State government reached the spot, the light had faded and it could not carry out rescue operations. Superintendent of Police B Rohith Raju along with the staff rushed to the village and monitored the rescue operations. District Collector Jitesh V Patil also rushed to the village later in the day to monitor the rescue operations.

The DDRF personnel continued the rescue operations in the night hours to rescue the 10 persons who were still stranded in the flood waters. The villagers were stranded in the stream as the water level increased suddenly with the release of excess water from the Peddavagu medium irrigation project in the mandal. The locals informed the NDRF team and the police.

It was said that the crest gates of the project were not functioning as a result the floodwaters gushed out over the reservoir bund. Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao directed officials to take measures to prevent damage to the bund.