A tourist boat capsized in the Godavari river near Devipatnam in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh on Sunday. The boat had 61 people onboard. Five among them are feared dead and 31 have been reported as missing.
According to media reports, two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams of 30 members each have been sent for the rescue operation. A chopper is also being used to locate the boat.
A total of 24 people have been rescued so far.
The Godvari river has recently received floodwaters.
Most people on the boat were travelling to Papikondalu, a famous tourist spot near Rajahmundry.
The boat ferrying them didn’t have licence of the Tourism Department, but had permission from Kakinada Port, Tourism Minister Muthamsetty Srinivasa Rao said.
Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy has announced Rs 10 lakh ex gratia for the next of the kin of the deceased.
The boat owner told mediapersons that only 61 passengers were being ferried in the boat against its maximum capacity of 90. He claimed that the spot where the accident happened was susceptible to whirlpools and there was a need to steer them carefully.
