Twenty-nine persons were feared drowned when a country boat in which they were travelling sank in the Krishna river near its mouth at Gollamanda village of Krishna district this morning. Eighteen bodies had been recovered when the search was abandoned in the afternoon when the tide turned.
The victims were mostly women going for agricultural work and children who came home for the Dasara festival and returning to their hostels. The ill-fated boat fitted with a motor was carrying about 50 people as against its capacity of 15-20. About 20 others in the boat managed to swim to the bank and to a sand bar in the middle of the river.
About a dozen people who survived were shifted to a hospital in Edurumondi and the rest were being treated at a make-shift health camp set up at Gollamanda village itself.
According to Arevarapu Sankara Rao who survived, the tide was coming in and there was very strong wind, the waves were powerful and it was raining at around 7 a.m.
Only one boat ferries people from the Edurumondi island to Etimoga island. There was a rush for the boat in the morning because many wanted cross over to find work in the paddy fields.
Paddy transplantation was being done because the area received some cyclonic rain.
Some students set out for student welfare hostels in Challapalli and Avanigadda. "When boat reached the middle of the river it began to rock violently and water entered into it. The people in boat mostly women began to panic. Suddenly the motor stopped and the boat sank into the river and the people with me drowned. Even though I do not know how to swim I was saved by a bag full of my nephew's books and some logs which kept me afloat, '' Sankara Rao said.
His nephew was however drowned in the mishap.
There was no other boat in the vicinity to come to the rescue of those who were trying to stay afloat and swim in the strong current.
A few minutes later fisherman, Venkataswami, who was returning from a fishing trip came to the spot where the boat sank.
He could not help many because he ran out of fuel at the nick of the time.
very sad unfortunately my sister was also there finally she died.
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