NDRF rescues eight fishermen and SDRF personnel from Telangana lake
All missing individuals were recovered safely from Betupalli Lake in Khammam district on Thursday morning with no casualties reported.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) rescued eight fishermen and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) personnel from Betupalli Lake in Telangana's Khammam district around 5:30 am on Thursday, according to ANI and The News Mill.
The incident occurred on Wednesday in Sathupalli mandal after heavy rainfall caused lakes and ponds to overflow. Fishermen went to fix nets in the lake when an irrigation tank overflowed, leading to a flood that left eight fishermen missing.
During an SDRF rescue attempt, two boats overturned and approximately 11 SDRF members went missing. Telangana Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said the SDRF members were wearing safety jackets and were safely rescued after helping the fishermen.
Minister Reddy, who visited the site with Minister Thumala Nageshwar Rao, noted that overflowing water had also damaged crops in several places. Dr K Rajashekar Goud of Khammam Hospital confirmed that all rescued individuals were in good health and there was no mortality.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy enquired about the missing boats and directed the District Collector to intensify rescue efforts. The Chief Minister also instructed the Chief Secretary to monitor and review the situation, according to the Chief Minister's Office (CMO).
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar also sought information regarding the missing boats and coordinated with Khammam District Collector Divakar and NDRF officials to deploy rescue teams on a war footing.