Stranded shepherd rescued after 30 hours in Nirmal

A shepherd stranded on a rock in the Godavari river near Munipelli village, Nirmal, for over 30 hours was rescued on Thursday. NDRF teams, with the help of drones and boats, finally brought him to safety, easing his family’s fears.

Nirmal: A shepherd stranded in the Godavari river near Munipelli village in Laxmanachanda mandal for more than 30 hours was rescued on Thursday, bringing immense relief to his family.

Three shepherds, Linganna, Pallikonda Srinivas and Banoth Shankar Naik, were caught in the river on Wednesday morning following heavy discharge of surplus water from Sri Ram Sagar Project at Pochampahad in Nizamabad district. While Linganna and Srinivas managed to swim to safety, Shankar remained trapped, clinging to a large rock.

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On learning of the incident, SP Dr Janaki Sharmila and Collector Abhilasha Abhinav rushed to the spot and supervised rescue efforts. NDRF teams were deployed, and drone cameras were flown to identify a safe approach. A helicopter was also requested to lift him out.

With the river in full flow, initial attempts failed. However, by Thursday afternoon, rescue personnel managed to reach Shankar using a boat and brought him ashore safely. His family members expressed joy and thanked the district authorities for their efforts. Shankar said he had been standing on the rock for over 30 hours.