Five Rescuers Drown in Tungabhadra River Near Mantralayam
The deaths follow a failed attempt to save a minor and expose persistent river safety risks in the pilgrimage area of Andhra Pradesh.
Overview
- A minor slipped into the Tungabhadra River on Saturday and was swept away after a family group that had attended a Satyanarayana Vratam entered the water to help.
- Five relatives and bystanders who went in to rescue the girl were themselves caught by strong currents and drowned, according to police.
- Rescue teams made up of local police, the State Disaster Response Force, expert divers and local fishermen conducted night searches and recovered the five victims and an additional unidentified person during the operation.
- Authorities identified the five deceased as Satish (35) and his son Yuvan Chandra (5) of Hyderabad, Raghavendra (25) and Dhanu (23) of Mantralayam, and Sandhya (22) of Uravakonda, and they have handed the bodies to families after formalities.
- Police have registered a case under Section 194 of the BNSS Act for death by drowning and are investigating circumstances while the incident highlights a wider drowning problem in Andhra Pradesh that has killed thousands in recent years.