Twin miracle for Vizag couple who lost both kids in river mishap

VISAKHAPATNAM: A couple from Visakhapatnam, who lost both their children in 2019 Royal Vasistha boat capsize in Godavari River, have been blessed with twins. What appears a miracle is that the couple had lost their daughters in the boat capsize. Now, they are blessed with girl twins.

On September 15, 2019 tourist boat Royal Vasistha, on its way to Bhadrachalam, had sunk in River Godavari surrounding the picturesque Papikondalu. Only children of T. Appala Raju and Bhagyalakshmi, residents of Vizag, Vaishnavi (3) and Ananya (18 months), apart from their grandmother, met a watery grave.

Heartbroken for months, Raju and Bhagyalakshmi approached an Akkayyapalem-based IVF clinic in 2020. But soon, Covid-19 pandemic hit and their plan for a child could not bear fruit. They tried again in January 2021 and they have now got positive results.

Raju told Deccan Chronicle, “The delivery had been scheduled in October. But my wife went into labour on September 14. We rushed to the clinic, where Bhagyalakshmi gave birth to twin girls the same day.”

Bhagyalakshmi recounted that her mother-in-law (Raju’s mother) Appalanarsamma had taken their daughters on the boat for fulfilling the vow of tonsuring the elder daughter at Bhadrachalam temple.

“My mother-in-law had a lot of affection for my children. But all three died in the boat mishap. I feel my mother-in-law herself has blessed me with twin girls now,” says Bhagyalakshmi.

In all, the Royal Vasistha capsize took 37 lives.