Visakhapatnam: Toll in Sileru boat accident rises to six

Visakhapatnam: Six bodies, including that of five children and an adult, who went missing in the boat accident at Sileru river were fished out by the rescue teams on Tuesday.

The bodies of Anusha Badnaik (25), Gayatri Badnaik (3), Rani Badnaik (6), Samson Belguru (5), Anisaran Beluguru (1) and Abhir Khara (1) were retrieved. However, Laxmi Khara (22) and Pinki Khara (4) are yet to be traced.

Superintendent of Police, Visakhapatnam district, B Krishna Rao said among 18 persons who met with the boat accident, 10 swam to the bank safely. "Of the eight persons who went missing, bodies of six were retrieved," the SP informed.

Over 30 migrant labourers came from Hyderabad and they were dropped at Jonnalamamidi. From there they contacted their relatives and family members in Guntawada. They were told that if they come via the dam route, they will be stopped by the police and asked to quarantine themselves and hence were suggested to reach the destination by boat, crossing the reservoir. Some of the migrants engaged two boats.

In the first trip, 17 members reached in two boats. In the second trip, 18 persons travelled in two boats. Initially one boat capsized in the river. When the persons present in the first boat tried to swim towards the second boat, their boat too capsized. ASP Chintapalli Vidya Sagar Naidu said the search operation is on.