Amaravati, May 27:
In a tragic event, three boys are feared drowned in the Godavari River in West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. This happened on Tuesday, just one day after eight youngsters were swept away in the same river in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district.
The latest incident took place near Raavi Lanka in Atchampet mandal of West Godavari.
According to the police, the three boys went missing after entering the river to bathe. A search operation involving police and revenue officials is underway.
The missing boys are from P. Gannavaram in Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district. Their names are Pawan Kumar (15), Surya Teja (12), and Praveen (15).
Meanwhile, authorities have recovered the bodies of seven out of the eight youngsters who drowned in the Konaseema district.
The search continues for the last missing youth. Bodies of Vaddi Rajesh (15), his brother Vaddi Mahesh (15), and Subbitha Paul Abhishek (18) were found Tuesday morning. Later, four more bodies were recovered.
A group of 11 youths, aged 12 to 19, had gone to bathe near Kamini Lanka in Mummidivaram mandal. While three youths managed to escape, the others were swept away by the river.
Among them, four youths are from Kakinada district and four are from Konaseema district.
Rescue teams from the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF), police, revenue, and fisheries departments, along with local fishermen and expert swimmers, are conducting the search.
Eight boats, including three from the SDRF, and six drones are being used in the operation. The search is overseen by Konaseema District Collector R. Mahesh Kumar and Superintendent of Police Krishna Rao.
The youths had come to attend a wedding in Seri Lanka, K. Gangavaram mandal. After lunch, they went to the river to bathe.
Initial police investigation suggests that when two youths started drowning, three tried to save them. When they too started drowning, another three tried to rescue them, resulting in all drowning.
The three youths who reached the bank raised an alarm and called for help from locals.
