Boat capsizes in village tank in Nellore district, six missing

Tirupati: At least six persons were missing after their country boat capsized in a local tank at Thoderu village in Podalakur mandal of Nellore district on Sunday.

The victims, all youngsters, were taking a joy ride. While four youths emerged safe, the police and fire safety personnel with help from locals launched a search for the missing persons.

According to reports, the boat was carrying 10 youths. It capsized because of the heavy load. After hearing the cries of help, some locals rushed to the tank and attempted to rescue the victims. While four members of the group have been saved, the remaining six, including two teenagers, were not traced, police said.
The missing youths were P Balaji (20), B Raghu (25), A Srinath (16), M Kalyan (30), C Prasanth (26) and P Surendra (16).

"Rescue men were at work, but no body was recovered so far. The cause of the accident is yet to be determined. The boat was overloaded and the area is highly dangerous due to swamp. The rescue operation was halted at night but it shall be resumed in the morning,” police said.

Minister and Sarvepalli MLA Kakani Govardhan Reddy has contacted the police and fire safety wing officials. He spoke to the district collector and SP and urged them to intensify the search.