Four die after boat capsizes in Krishna river in Palnadu

Vijayawada: A leisure boat ride in the Krishna river turned fatal for a fisherman’s family on Sunday afternoon when the vessel capsized, drowning four persons, including two children, at Konuru village in Acchampet mandal of Palnadu district.The deceased are Gandham Shiny (8) and Gandham Sandhya (10), both from Konuru village; and Gonapam Chaitanya (24) and Bathula Karthik (25), from Chilakaluripet and Marrichettupalem, respectively, in Palnadu district, police said.According to Atchampeta police inspector Srinivasa Rao, fisherman Gandham Gangaiah’s family of 10 embarked on the boat ride to a nearby island and was returning home before they accidentally fell into the river as the boat, owned by the family, lost balance.

Locals managed to rescue six members of the family, while four others went missing. A police team launched a search operation to trace the missing persons, and finally fished out four bodies.“The accident occurred around 12.30pm following a pivot turn as the boat neared the riverbank, leading all those on board to fall into the river,” the inspector said.The bodies have been shifted to the local govt hospital for a post-mortem examination.

A case has been registered, and a probe is underway, police said.Meanwhile, chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed grief over the deaths. Reviewing the situation from Singapore, he held a teleconference with the Palnadu collector and senior officials to assess rescue and relief operations. He announced an ex gratia of ₹5 lakh each for the kin of the deceased, and directed district authorities to ensure immediate disbursement of the compensation.Naidu also ordered a comprehensive inquiry into the incident by a team comprising officials of the revenue, police and irrigation departments. He instructed them to submit a detailed report and recommend measures to prevent such mishaps in future.