WARANGAL: Fourteen members of a family from Warangal Urban district were among those who were on the ill-fated tourist boat that sank in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday. Five of them are said to be safe and a search is on for nine of their relatives.
Basike Kavita Rani said her 17-year-old son Avinash had called her in the morning to inform her that the party was boarding the boat. He said he would not be able to call her during the ride as he was told that it was out of coverage area.
“He said he will call me again after getting off the boat. He was supposed to come back home on Sunday night,” she said, weeping uncontrollably. Her husband Tirupathi died in 2013. She works as a domestic help to educate her two sons. Her younger son Aravind did not go on the tour.
The family lives in the Maharajula Colony of Kadipikonda in Kazipet mandal of Warangal Urban district. They booked their train tickets on August 9 to travel on the Goutami Express and took the train on Friday night. They were expected to return on Sunday night.
The five members of the family who survived are Basike Dasharatham, Basike Venkatswamy, Darshanala Suresh, Gorre Prabhakar, Arepalli Yadagiri. Those who are yet to be found are C.V. Venkatswamy, 62, Basike Rajendra Prasad, 50, Basike Dharmaraju, 42, Basike Rajender, 58, Basike Avinash, 17, Kondur Rajkumar, 40, Gaddameedi Suneel, 40, Kommula Ravi, 43, and Gorre Rajendra Prasad, 55. District collector Prashant J. Patil said he is in touch with officials in Kakinada where the rescued are undergoing treatment. He said the district administration arranged for four ambulances and revenue officials were sent to Kakinada to look after the injured and bring them back.
Panchayat raj minister Errabelli Dayakar Rao inquired with collector Prashanth Jeevan Patil about the tourists from Warangal Urban district and asked him to take appropriate steps to help the family.
