Warangal: Excruciating wait for Kadipikonda villagers continues

Warangal: With the rescue operation still going on in Papikondalu on Monday, the excruciating wait continued for Kadipikonda villagers who wanted to know about their near and dear ones who went missing after the launch in which they were travelling capsized in River Godavari near Kachuluru under Devipatnam mandal in East Godavari district in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday.

Of the 14 persons of Kadipikonda, a suburban village of Warangal, who were present in the launch when the mishap occurred five are safe. The authorities had so far found two bodies while the fate of the other seven is yet to be ascertained when reports last came in on Monday evening. The deceased were identified as Baski Avinash (22) and Baski Rajender (55).

Meanwhile, a pall of gloom descended on Kadipikonda village with the residents clueless about the developments taking place in accident spot. While the villagers largely depended on televisions to know the developments, a group of residents including the kin of those present in the ill-fated launch left for Rajahmundry to get an idea of what was going there.

Sri Prashamsa, daughter of Basike Rajendra Prasad, a Class VIII student, said, "it has been more than 24 hours since the mishap, but I am yet to get information about my father. The kind of emotional trauma my family is in is beyond words. All my classmates are praying for my dad to return safely."

Meanwhile, Minister for Panchayat Raj Errabelli Dayakar Rao along with Wardhannapet MLA Aroori Ramesh left for Rajahmundry on Monday and met Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy and discussed about the developments. They also interacted with the survivors who were being treated in government hospital in Rajahmundry.

It is leant that Errabelli made sure that bodies of Baski Avinash and Baski Rajender arrive in Kadipikonda late in the night.