Himachal tragedy: UAVs being used to locate bodies of Hyderabad students
16 bodies yet to be recovered; water is muddy, contains silt, which reduces visibility for divers
Hyderabad: The two bodies that were retrieved on Thursday were identified as that of G. Arvind Kumar, son of Vinod Kumar of Vanasthalipuram in Hyderabad, and T. Upender, son of Srinivas of Khammam district. The bodies were flown to New Delhi on a BSF chopper. Sixteen bodies are yet to be recovered.
The river bed is full of rocks and boulders and the water is muddy and contains silt, which reduces visibility for the divers who are still searching for the missing bodies. Mr B. R. Meena, principal secretary (revenue) of the Telangana government said, “The bodies were flown out on a BSF chopper. Due to bad weather they were taken to Delhi by road and later flown to Hyderabad. Necessary arrangements have been made by the Telangana government to transport the bodies to their respective places.”
(Read: Himachal tragedy: Massive search on in Beas river)
Mr. J.C. Sharma, principal secretary of the revenue department of AP said, “Surveillance by UAVs has started to locate the bodies.” Telangana minister Nayani Narasimha Reddy is camping at the site of the accident. AP police teams led by additional DG Rajiv Trivedi will also take part in the search operation on Friday. AP policemen trained in water sports are being flown in to take part in the operation. Foot patrolling and water patrolling is being carried out on the river. Navy divers were also called in.
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The search entered its fourth day on Thursday. Around 550 rescue workers are taking part. NDMA vice chairman Mr M. Shashidar Reddy, who visited the site of the mishap said, "All assistance will be provided for the search operation and more equipment and men will be deployed depending on the need. It’s a tough task for the divers. It’s only through touch that they can recognise objects lying beneath. A special underwater camera has also been deployed." Fifteen more NDRF teams will be joining in the massive search taking the total to 39.
(Read: Himachal tragedy: Late rescue bid killed many)
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